


New Friends

by StarShine583



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien salt, Alya Salt, F/M, Lila salt, Post-Episode: s03 Caméléon | Chameleon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-30
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-02-18 11:36:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 81,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21610276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarShine583/pseuds/StarShine583
Summary: A Felinette story from Tumblr!
Relationships: Felix Culpa - Relationship, Marinette Dupain-Cheng - Relationship, Marinette/Felix Culpa
Comments: 70
Kudos: 586





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I am actually not StarShine, I was just given permission to create this account, and post their stories.

Marinette cowered underneath the class’ judgmental looks, but those weren’t nearly as bad as the looks Alya and Nino were giving her. They were conflicted, wavering, proving to her dismay that they actually believed Lila.

“I’m telling you, I didn’t do it!” Marinette insisted with pleading eyes.

Alya frowned. “Why would Lila lie?”

Anger bubbled up in Marinette’s chest at the question.

“Because she lies all the time!” She snapped back, making her friends jump. “She lied about her wrist and her ear, she lied about being friends with Ladybug and traveling abroad, and now she’s been lying about me!”

Lila dramatically at the accusation.

“Marinette, please, I know you’ve never liked me, but you’re not even making sense anymore.” The brunette said with feigned concern.

This only made the class turn on Marinette even more.

“Why do you hate Lila so much?” Mylene frowned.

“What did she ever do to you?” Kim added defiantly.

‘What hasn’t she done to me?’ Marinette thought in response, though she didn’t say it out loud. She was already in a bad enough situation as it is.

“It’s really not a big deal that you broke my phone, honest. Can we please just be friends?” Lila then requested.

Marinette groaned in frustration.

“I already told you I didn’t break the phone.” She repeated, massaging her temples to help the headache that was coming on.

Alya sighed, placing a hand on Marinette’s shoulder. “Come on, girl, Lila already said it was okay, just fess up and move on.”

The ravenette flinched away from her touch, wearing the most heart broken expression. “You too, Alya?”

It was at that point, Marinette looked to the only other person that might be able to help her. Adrien. He was the sensible one. He knew that Lila’s been lying this whole time just as she did.

Unfortunately, he only looked more conflicted than the others, but it wasn’t because he didn’t believe Marinette. He was trying to decide if he should expose Lila or not. They had agreed to just let her do whatever as long as they knew about it. Since then, however, it seemed as if Lila was targeting Marinette specifically, and rumors about her flooded the school within the first few weeks of Lila’s arrival. They started out small. Marinette said this, Marinette said that. Then they got worse. Marinette did this, Marinette did that. None of it was true, of course, but the lies were so small and believable that soon, everyone was believing the bigger lies too. Such as the broken phone.

Marinette let out a small gasp of disbelief when the blonde looked away from her. Even Adrien wasn’t going to stand up for her now.

Tears well up in Mari’s eyes. No one else believed her, not even her best friend. When did everything go so wrong?

Before anyone could say anything else, Marinette hurried out of the room, hot tears streaming down her cheeks.

~~~~~~

Marinette flung open the bathroom door, quick to hide in one of the stalls.

“It’s going to be okay, Marinette.” Tikki, her adorable red kwami, attempted to soothe.

“I just don’t see how, Tikki. No one believes me.” Marinette sobbed, curling into herself.

“They’re your friends, I’m sure they’ll come around. We just-” A light knock echoed through the bathroom, and Tikki stopped.

Marinette sucked in a breath as the kwami hid in her purse, both waiting for the intruder to reveal themselves in some way.

“Marinette?” A soft voice called from the other side of the door.

Her whole body sagged in relief towards the call. She’d recognize Luka’s gentle tone anywhere. Drying her tears the best she could, Marinette got up and cracked open the bathroom door.

“Yes?”

“Hey, I saw you run in here. Are you okay?” He asked with concern, gently pushing on the door to get a better look at her.

Marinette hesitated, but let it open, standing dejectedly in the doorway.

“Marinette, your eyes are all puffy. What happened?” Luka cupped her cheeks as he looked her up and down. He was being so gentle and kind that Marinette couldn’t help bursting into tears once again.

This only distressed Luka further, and he pulled her into a hug.

“Hey, hey, everything’s gonna be okay. Don’t worry.” He cooed, holding her close and slowly rocking back and forth.

“I-I don’t know wh-what to do.” Marinette choked, burying her face in his chest.

Luka frowned, not understanding what she meant.

“Is there anything I can do? Do you- do you wanna go for a walk or something? It’s lunch period for you, too, right?” He suggested, leaning back from her to wipe away some of her tears.

Mari paused to think about it. She didn’t feel like going to the cafeteria since her classmates would be there. If she stayed at the school, though, Adrien might try to find her. So, she nodded her head, not really having the energy to talk.

Luka nodded as well, carefully grabbing her arm and giving a small tug to lead her toward the school exit.

~~~~~~

Once the two got outside and started walking, Marinette started to feel better, especially since Luka graciously lent her an ear for her recent problems with Lila.

“I was wondering how all of those rumors started..” Luka mumbled with furrowed eyebrows. “She seemed nice when Juleka talked about her.”

“She has the whole class wrapped around her finger.” Marinette sighed, brushing her bangs to the side.

“Except you.” Luka pointed out with a smirk.

“And Adrien.” She corrected.

“Adrien knows?” Luka asked with raised eyebrows. He would’ve thought Adrien would stand up for Marinette.

The girl only nodded, heaving another sigh. Adrien was.. another.. problem to deal with. So, instead of dwelling on that, she pulled a smile.

“Anyway, where are we going?” She suddenly asked, glancing around the street. They had been walking for a while now, and Marinette noticed they hadn’t circled around yet.

Luka gave a sheepish smile.

“I meant to mention it earlier, but you were really down.” He started apologetically. “I’m actually meeting my friends for lunch- i-if you wanna go back to the school that’s fine. I’ll even walk you back.” Luka quickly added, but Marinette scoffed.

“No thanks. I could use the break. Who are your friends?”

Luka smiled brightly, gesturing towards a restaurant they had just walked up to. “You’ll see. They’re waiting for us in the back.”

~~~~~~

When Luka and Marinette entered the back of the restaurant, they were greeted by a table of four, three of them cheerfully waving them down.

“Oh that’s..!” Marinette trailed off as they approached the table.

It was Kagami, Aurore, Wayhem, and someone she didn’t recognize.

“You’re late, Luka.” Kagami spoke up as the two sat down.

“And you brought Marinette with you!” Aurore added excitedly, pulling Mari into a hug.

“I didn’t know you guys hung out together?” Marinette smiled, hugging Aurore back.

“We take the same classes together.” Luka said vaguely, handing her a menu.

“Why are you here?” Kagami questioned, coming off a little rude. Marinette brushed her tone to the side, though, knowing she was just curious.

She explained the story once again to the others, though not as detailed for the sake of time. They listened intently, each frowning by the end.

“I had heard a few rumors, but I didn’t know Lila was the one starting them.” Aurore admitted thoughtfully.

“I haven’t heard anything, but I’ve overheard Lila talking sometimes.” Wayhem spoke up.

“I just have a hard time believing Adrien would condone such behavior.” Kagami frowned, crossing her arms with a troubled expression.

“Well.. I wouldn’t say condone it, he just.. doesn’t want Lila to be akumatized.” Marinette attempted to defend. After all, Adrien was just trying to do the right thing, wasn’t he?

“Sounds like you need new friends.” Someone suddenly suggested.

The group glanced up at the boy sitting across from Marinette.

“I’m sorry, who are you?” Marinette inquired with furrowed eyebrows.

Kagami was quick to jump in. “Apologies, I was supposed to introduce him earlier. Marinette, this is Felix. Felix, this is Marinette.”

Marinette hummed, giving him a curious look, while Felix simply took another sip of his tea.

“I don’t know if she needs new friends..” Aurore said, returning to Felix’s comment. The action felt a bit harsh in her opinion.

“From what Dupain-Cheng says, Rossi’s been spreading lies about her, and instead of helping or defending her, her friends have taken Rossi’s side. Sounds like she needs new friends to me.” Felix stated flatly.

Marinette’s chest ached at those words. Most likely because she knew deep down, that he just might be right.

“Lila blinded them with her lies, it’s not their fault. Besides, Adrien knows she is a liar, so he always has my back.” Nevertheless, Marinette continued to defend her friends.

“If he knows, and isn’t helping you, that makes him a horrible person.” Felix countered, taking another sip of his tea.

The friends each gave some mutters of agreement. What Felix was saying made sense.

Neither Marinette nor Kagami seemed to like the direction their conversation was headed in, though.

“Adrien’s too nice to..”

“Ahh, too nice. People that are too nice are the ones that let Nazi’s take over France.” Felix’s comment was cutting.

The exchange fell silent after that, since no one could argue against Felix’s words. After a while, someone changed the subject, but Marinette couldn’t erase it from her mind.

Even as they all walked back to class, Marinette pondered on the subject. Felix was right. She knew that much.

What should she do about it? Marinette had no idea.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Lila pushing her to the end of her rope, Marinette leans to Luka for help, who in turn introduces her to quite an impressionable group

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to say that I have no idea who's going to read this once it's posted, but I'm so sorry for not updating! All of these works are already finished on tumblr (my account name is still Starshine583 on there) so I kind of procrastinated transferring everything. So sorry for the delay!!!

The next morning, Marinette woke up more tired than she had fallen asleep. Any dreams she had were just nightmares, nothing more. That’d been happening a lot recently. 

“Marinette, you’re going to be late for school!” Her mother called from below. 

“Coming, Mama.” Marinette mumbled, rubbing her eyes as she stumbled around her room for clothes. 

“Maybe you should go to bed earlier tomorrow?” Tikki suggested worriedly, flying around her holder’s head. 

The ravenette hummed at the thought. sleep wasn’t the real issue. They both knew that. It was Lila and Marinette’s friends. 

Sounds like you need new friends. Felix’s words from yesterday echoed in her mind. Though Marinette felt guilty about it, the more she pondered the words, the more they made sense to her. She hated to admit it, but what kind of friends did she have if they didn’t believe her over a foreigner? 

As she continued to think it over, Marinette hobbled down the steps to grab a bagel or two for the walk to school. 

“Honey, you look like a zombie. Are you okay?” Her mother frowned, gently rubbing her shoulder. If not for the touch, Marinette might not have registered that Sabine was even talking to her. 

Pulling a weary smile, Marinette nodded, pressing a kiss to her cheek, and grabbing a bagel. 

“I just stayed up too late last night, I guess. See you after school.” She answered, slipping out the door before her mother could ask anymore questions. 

Despite being exhausted, Marinette managed to make it to class on time. When she walked in, though, she found Lila sitting in her seat.

“Lila, you’re in my seat.” Marinette remarked flatly, too tired to play nice at the moment. She ignored the sting of seeing Alya protectively put a hand on Lila’s shoulder. The journalist used to protect Marinette just like that. 

Lila blinked in feigned surprise at Mari. 

“I’m so sorry, Marinette, my tinnitus is bugging me a lot today.” The liar apologized, placing her hand on her ear. 

“I thought you said ladybug healed your Tinnitus.” Marinette countered, wearing the same blank expression. 

It wasn’t so much as Marinette’s words as her attitude that threw Lila off.

“S-she did!- or I thought she did, but it came back this morning.“

“Mari, it’s just moving seats. Does it really matter?” Alya spoke up, annoyance lacing her tone. 

Marinette’s gaze flickered to her supposed best friend, then to Adrien, who was giving her a displeased look. 

“It’s really okay guys.. I know Mari doesn’t like me, and she really wants to get at me for some reason, but we shouldn’t band against her like this.” Lila pretended to be a mediator for the situation.

The class, as usual, started angrily buzzing about Marinette’s “behavior”. Marinette wanted to believe in her friends, to think they would eventually come to their senses and realize what Lila’s done. Sadly, the only thing she found herself believing right now were the words from the strange boy she met yesterday. 

The bluenette looked back at Lila for a solid minute without saying a word. Then she simply turned and headed for the back seat she had been exiled to. 

(Credit to @nobodyfamousposts for this next bit!)

“Tinnitus is the persistent ringing in one’s ears.” Came a new voice. “If you are claiming to hear things that no one at any point has said, then perhaps your disability should be diagnosed under mental health rather than hearing.” 

All of her classmates immediately turned to the new student standing at the door who was the source of the cutting remark. And though she couldn’t help but feel relief at no longer being the center of her classmates’ ire, Marinette’s eyes similarly snapped to the owner of the voice as well, though for a different reason. 

The others were confused, but growing angry at the clear insult. She, on the other hand, was seeking out the one other person who was willing to see the obvious lies and manipulations for what they were, even if that person was a stranger. And how much did that have to hurt that it was someone she didn’t even know who was willing to side with her instead of her own best friend? 

What she saw was a familiar blonde haired-boy wearing a grey dress shirt and black pants. His steely grey eyes almost seemed to glimmer as he took in the scene of the classroom. 

“Who exactly are you supposed to be?” Alya demanded. 

The boy barely gave her a glance before looking back over the rest of the class until his gaze settled on Marinette. He seemed to look her over, as if assessing her before starting to speak again. 

“I have to say, it’s hardly impressive when the first thing to see upon entering a new classroom is everyone bullying a single student.” 

Marinette blanched at that. “They’re not—no one is bullying—” 

His steely glare cut her off. “They pushed you out of your seat without your knowledge or permission—a seat that isn’t even needed for the one who is claiming to have a special need, at that—and are requiring you to sit alone in the back where you clearly don’t want to be, only to gang up on you when you express unhappiness about the matter. What is that if not bullying?” 

It was phrased as a question, but it certainly in no way sounded like one and brokered no room for argument. It left Marinette stunned and the rest of her classmates actually looked a bit sheepish at that. 

“He’s right.” Came a response from Lila that brought the tension right back to Marinette’s shoulders. The girl had her head lowered and brought a hand up to her eye like she was trying to wipe away a tear before it formed.

“I’m causing so much trouble. I could go to the back after all. It’s fine. I probably shouldn’t even be here.” 

Oh gosh, was she actually sniffling? Yes, yes she was. 

The rest of the class rose in their seats at that, as if to rush to the liar’s side and try to comfort her. The clear ploy only made Marinette more frustrated. Fortunately, this time she wasn’t the only one. 

“If you’re quite finished with your self-inflicted pity party,” The strange boy continued. “Perhaps you could acknowledge that the issue here never needed to be about you.” 

That gave Lila pause, actually bringing a stop to her fake tears. “What?” 

“In order to accommodate you, only one student would have needed to move. There was absolutely no need to move everyone in the class, especially to do so without all members of the class present to be able to advocate for themselves, or do you all regularly make decisions for classmates without consideration as to their feelings?” 

Finally, Mlle. Bustier intervened. “Felix, please. There’s no need for harsh words. I’m sure the class meant no harm.” 

Marinette looked back at him, taking in his features. She was too preoccupied yesterday to really get a look at him. 

He was tall and standoffish, exuding an air of seriousness and sternness that would be off-putting to most people. But he stood up to Lila without hesitation and seemed prone to speaking his mind. She was wary, but also curious. 

Felix, on the other hand, was less than appeased with the teacher’s attempts to calm the situation. 

“Then shouldn’t you have been the one to arrange the seating? Or have the class wait to make changes until after class starts and everyone would be present?” 

Seeing the way Mlle. Bustier’s eyes widened and the rest of the class gaped, Marinette chose that moment to jump in. 

“It’s fine!” Marinette insisted, waving her hands up and causing the boy to turn to her. “I mean, it was really my own fault for being late.” 

“You weren’t late. The bell hasn’t even rung.” He shot back. 

She hesitated. “Still…” 

“Such decisions that affect everyone should be agreed upon by everyone before being implemented. That they made the choice when not everyone was present only to turn on the one who was not allowed a say speaks volumes.” His eyes narrowed. “Or do you regularly let others make decisions for you?” 

Marinette froze. She really had nothing she could say to that. Neither did the rest of the class.

Mlle. Bustier coughed, bringing everyone’s attention back to her. “Marinette, perhaps as the class rep, you can take Felix on a tour of the school and help show him around?” 

It wasn’t something they normally did, but separating them for now seemed the best move. This would hopefully allow the class time to calm, and maybe Marinette could help Felix to acclimate. At the very least, it would prevent a fight from breaking out. 

“Uh—sure!” Marinette agreed, uncertain but willing to try to help diffuse this growingly tense situation. Felix was smart. And fully willing to speak out if he felt it necessary. Those were admirable qualities, even if they seemed to turn people off. Marinette had hopes that maybe if they got to know each other, they could perhaps become friends. 

Desperately trying to ignore the intense stares from her class, Marinette stepped down to the bottom floor and smiled at Felix. He simply raised an eyebrow in response. She coughed, then forcefully smiled again. 

“Shall we go?” She asked, as she gestured to the door. 

A moment passed. Then thankfully, he nodded and moved to follow her as she started for the entrance. However, once he reached the door, he turned back and looked up at the class with a critical eye. 

“My first impression of this class is…I don’t like any of you.”

Marinette managed to pull him out of the room right before the shouting started.

(Back to mine lol)

“I thought you were in Luka’s class.” Marinette commented as they walked the school grounds. 

“I never said that. I used to go to the same school as Tsurugi. That’s why I was at lunch with them.” He answered vaguely, skeptically looking around the school. 

“So you transferred here?” 

“Yesterday.” He confirmed shortly. 

Marinette nodded in understanding, falling silent for a moment. She couldn’t help but think- once again- of his advice. 

“Thank you.” Marinette spoke without thinking. 

It gave Felix a pause. They both knew what she was thanking him for. Anyone defending Marinette against Lila was apparently a rarity now.

“I simply stated the facts. Nothing more.” He replied flatly.

Marinette shrugged, though she felt differently on the matter. 

They continued the tour without much conversation after that, with Marinette pointing out the classroom, gym, and library, and explaining the class schedules and how to look them up. 

By the time they got back to the class, everyone had settled down, though they still pointed Marinette and Felix with a hard glare. Marinette just avoided their gaze, moving forward to sit in the back. 

Felix, however, seemed to meet each of their eyes with an icy glare of his own. He slid into the back seat next to Marinette without much hesitation, pulling out his books. 

“You’re sitting next to me?” She asked, her eyes widening in surprise. 

“It’s the only other seat in the classroom.” Felix responded, not even sparing her a glance. 

Marinette flushed with embarrassment at that, mumbling an “oh” as she took out her own books. Felix was extremely blunt and pretty cold most of the time, but.. He was also the only person who took her side against Lila.

Sure, Adrien knew about Lila’s lies, but he never did anything about it. He never defended her the way Felix did just now. No one did. 

So, Marinette supposed, Felix couldn’t be _that_ bad, right? She just had to get to know him more, and that was what she intended to do.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Lila pushing her to the end of her rope, Marinette leans to Luka for help, who in turn introduces her to quite an impressionable group

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah, so I'm basically going to be word dumping as many chapters of this as I can before I go to sleep, which might not be many DX I'm gonna try though!!

Kagami tried to take notes for her class, but in the end they made no sense. She couldn’t even write a coherent sentence with her thoughts lingering on Agreste. **  
**

_I’m going to talk to him today._ She had decided. 

Kagami didn’t doubt Marinette, but there had been misunderstandings with the girl before. Perhaps this was just that? Another misunderstanding?

She certainly hoped so. Adrien was the first friend she made at this school. If there was a bully in the class, she liked to believe that he would have enough honor to defend the victims. 

“Kagami~” Aurore sang beside her, finally gaining her friend’s attention.

Kagami flinched, looking up with her deep brown eyes, wide with shock.

Aurore pulled a sweet smile, though it faded into concern a moment after.

“Class is over now. You don’t usually get so distracted. Is something wrong?” 

Kagami glanced around the classroom. It was indeed empty. She stood up with a huff, irritated that she let her thoughts wander so easily. 

“Everything’s fine. I just need to have a talk with Adrien.” Kagami said calmly, placing her tablet in her bag. 

“About Marinette?” Aurore said curiously, following Kagami down the steps and out of the classroom. 

“Yes, where are the boys?” Kagami turned back to Aurore in a brief halt. 

“They said they’d meet us at the cafeteria.” 

“Good. I’ll see you there.” 

Aurore nodded towards the implied request. She knew better than to get in the way of Kagami’s “quests”. 

The two parted ways, and Kagami soon found herself outside of Adrien’s classroom. Unfortunately he wasn’t there. It appeared she’d be going to the cafeteria sooner than she originally thought. 

~~~~~~

Marinette walked with Felix to the cafeteria, mostly because no one else wanted to walk with either of them and they were going in the same direction. 

They went through the cafeteria line just as they had walked to the cafeteria. Silently. Though it was a bit awkward at times, Marinette preferred the quietness to listening to Lila. she could still hear her over-glorified classmate from across the lunch room. 

Her class was eagerly flocking around the foreigner, taking in her every word. Every embellished story. The only thing Marinette could even remotely give her credit for is coming up with all of those stories in the first place. Lila tells new ones everyday, none with the same basis except for her being the hero. 

“No wonder she’s so thin. She can’t keep her mouth closed long enough to eat properly.” Felix muttered to himself. 

Marinette couldn’t help but overhear, and before she knew it she had a hand to her mouth trying to suppress the fit of giggles taking over her. 

From the expression he was wearing, she knew he was being serious. The comment was hilarious to her nonetheless. It was a shame she was the only one that heard it. 

“That’s a bit harsh.” 

Or maybe she hadn’t been. 

The two looked up to see none other than Adrien, wearing a frown, right behind Felix in line. 

“Been a while, Agreste.” Felix raised an eyebrow. 

Marinette and Adrien’s eyes widened in surprise. 

“How do you know my name?” 

“Of course you don’t remember me. Even when we were kids, you were just as self centered as Chloe. She just doesn’t hide it.”

Marinette knitted her eyebrows together in confusion, but Adrien’s eyes seemed to glaze over with recognition.

“Felix..”

“I also wasn’t surprised when Dupain-Cheng said you were the one who told her to stay quiet about Rossi’s lies. You never _did_ like actually standing up to the status quo.” 

Adrien furrowed his eyebrows, looking around Felix to see a pale Marinette who was gripping her tray much tighter now. His frown deepened, and he opened his mouth to comment, but Marinette didn’t give him the chance.

She whirled around, moving for a place to sit where Adrien couldn’t follow. Her eyes desperately flicked to different tables until- 

“Marinette!” A savior called out for her. 

The ravenette sighed with relief when she saw Luka, Wayhem, and Aurore waving her to their table. She took a step forward towards safety, only to be stopped by a hand gently grabbing her arm. It was Adrien. Of course it was.

“Mari, can we talk?” He asked politely. 

She knew what he was doing. They had had this talk several times before. Marinette wanted to say no, but his emerald green eyes sucked her in, just as they always did. She couldn’t say she felt as strongly about him as she used to, due to all that’s happened; however, Marinette also couldn’t say her feelings for him were completely gone. 

“Adrien, I-I really don’t-” 

Marinette was cut off by an emphasized clearing of the throat. They expected it to be Felix, but, upon looking up, they found Kagami instead. Felix was still in line picking out his food. 

“I don’t mean to interrupt-” she began, sharing a look with Marinette “-but do you have a moment, Adrien? There’s something I’d like to discuss.” 

Confusion spread across Adrien’s features. His grasp on Marinette’s arm loosened just enough for Marinette to slip away, retreating to Luka’s table.

He called after her. She didn’t turn around. 

Luka pat the chair next to him with a smile, silently requesting her to sit next to him. 

Marinette gladly obliged, setting down her tray and pulling in her chair.

“What did Adrien want with you?” Aurore inquired, glancing back to see Adrien following Kagami into another area. 

Marinette turned around as well, watching them go around the corner.

“Nothing important.” she sighed.

“That’s for sure.” Felix grumbled, sitting down next to her.

Marinette straightened, glancing at Felix with a tense look in her eyes.

Felix raised an eyebrow questioningly.

Marinette bit her lip, looking at him with curiosity and worry. “W-what was that about with Adrien just now? Do you know him personally?”

She knew it was a dangerous question, and frankly, she wasn’t even sure she wanted him to answer. Unfortunately, Marinette also knew it was a necessary one. 

Felix narrowed his gaze- one of annoyance, she assumed -and he looked down at the table.

“I hate to admit it, but he’s my cousin.” The stiff teen revealed.

Marinette, along with the rest of the group, widened their eyes in shock. Wayhem actually dropped his fork.

Despite the circumstances, Adrien could literally be considered the sun on a cloudless day. Felix, on the other hand, was something relating to a storm cloud, his words similar to acid-like rain.

And they were supposed to believe the two were _related_?

“Oh..” was all Marinette ended up saying. 

“Does Kagami know?” Luka suddenly asked.

Felix nodded. “Let’s change the subject. I hate saying it out loud enough. I don’t want to dwell on my unfortunate bloodline.”

No one argued.

~~~~~~~

Adrien didn’t understand what was going on with Marinette. Hadn’t they agreed to keep Lila under wraps? Not to mention, he thought Felix was new at the school. How did Marinette know him, and why was she talking to him about Lila? None of this made sense.. 

“I apologize for pulling you away from lunch.” Kagami said at first, regaining Adrien’s attention. 

“It’s alright. What did you need?” The blonde replied, pulling a friendly smile. 

“Do you know a girl named Lila?” She got right to the point. 

“Yeah, she’s in our class.” 

“I’ve heard she claims to know ladybug, that they’re good friends. Is that true?” 

Adrien shifted uncomfortably, obviously unwilling to answer the question.

“Well, you never know I guess..” He ended up muttering. 

Kagami’s eyes narrowed. That wasn’t the reaction she had expected nor wanted. 

“So you think she’s lying?” 

“I..” 

“Does the rest of the class know she’s been lying?” She pressed further. 

Adrien frowned at that. “You already know the answer. So why are you asking me?” 

“You’re in their class. I assumed you wouldn’t let them be deceived.” Kagami snipped, though her calm demeanor remained. 

Adrien stiffened, becoming a bit defensive at the implied accusation. 

“Look, it’s complicated. I just don’t think that outing Lila to the class will help anything.” The boy finally admitted, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. “If we do that, she’s just gonna get akumatized again.” 

Kagami’s gaze sharpened when she heard his reply. 

“Marinette was right..” She whispered to herself with a mix of disbelief and disgust. This changed things. 

Adrien was now not only confused, but surprised. Did Marinette tell Kagami about Lila too? How many people did she tell? 

“That’s all I wanted to ask. Thank you for your time.” Kagami abruptly ended the conversation, walking past him and back to the cafeteria.

Adrien turned around to ask her some questions of his own, but she was already gone.

~~~~~~~~~~

When Kagami returned to her table of friends, Marinette noticed she seemed frustrated, yet determined. Since she brought her own lunch, Kagami skipped the line and sat next to Aurore with a pondering expression. 

“How’d it go?” Aurore was the first to ask. 

Kagami didn’t respond at first. Instead, she looked to Marinette. 

“You were right. Adrien’s enabling Lila.” 

Confliction pricked at the back of Marinette’s mind. She was relieved that Kagami believed her about Lila, but to say Adrien was enabling her was a different story. Kagami said it yesterday as well. Marinette couldn’t fully agree with her then either. He just wants to keep the peace..or so he says.

“So what do we do about it?” Luka spoke up. From the look in his eyes, Marinette could tell he was upset about this. 

“Adrien Agreste strikes again.” Wayhem sighed, surprising Marinette further. 

When she first met him as Ladybug, he was extremely obsessed with the model. Does that mean he’s changed his opinion of Adrien since then? 

“Should we tell the class about Lila’s lies?” 

“That hasn’t worked out for Marinette before. We need a different strategy to clear Marinette’s name.” Kagami speculated. 

As the group buzzed about ideas and what to do about Lila, Marinette took the time to think things over. Kagami had a point. If Adrien knew about Lila’s lies and didn’t tell people, he was technically enabling her. Could Marinette really lean on someone like that? 

Alya and Nino didn’t even believe what she said anymore, so they were a clear no in loyalty. 

“Maybe..” Marinette began, hesitantly and quietly. “Maybe we don’t need to.” 

She looked up at the group, who had trailed off. 

“What do mean?” Luka furrowed his eyebrows. Of course they needed to clear her reputation!

Marinette drew in a breath, her gaze flicking to Felix. He hadn’t spoken this entire time. 

Felix met her eyes for a brief second, before going back to the book he was reading. 

“Adrien knows Lila’s not only been telling lies about herself, she’s also been telling lies about me. Yet he does nothing to stop them, going so far as to ask me to do the same.” Marinette chose her words carefully. “The class has known me for years, and Alya’s supposed to be my best friend. Despite that, no one hesitated to believe Lila. doesn’t that.. Doesn’t that _mean_ something?” 

The group went quiet at the question. None of them felt they had a correct answer. 

Felix was looking up now, curious as to where Marinette was going with this. 

Aurore tilted her head to the side with a troubled expression. “Marinette, what are you saying?” 

“I’m saying.. I think.. I think we should just not do anything. To make everyone believe, I mean. If they didn’t believe me at first, is it.. Is it really worth it?” She finished, uncertain. 

The group seemed to think it over, before exchanging glances and nodding in agreement. 

“Okay, Mari. if you want us to leave it alone, we will.” Wayhem said supportively. 

“But would you wanna hang out with us?” Luka then offered, the others immediately joining in. 

Marinette smiled at the suggestion. Hanging out with these wonderful people? People who actually _believed_ her?

“That sounds great.” She answered brightly. 

If she wasn’t sharing so much excitement with the others, she would have noticed a small smile on Felix’s lips when she accepted the proposal.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Lila pushing her to the end of her rope, Marinette leans to Luka for help, who in turn introduces her to quite an impressionable group

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I figured out an easier way to post the chapters, so I should actually get these all posted tonight! I don't think I wrote a chapter name for chapter 3, though, even though there already isn't one.. I'll have to go back and check that lol

Adrien grew impatient as he lingered on the front steps of the school. Where was Marinette? They had the same class so he knew she got out of school when he did. What else did she have planned? **  
**

Aside from that, how many other people was she going to tell about Lila? Adrien wasn’t sure what to think anymore. Weren’t they in this together? She agreed not to expose Lila so what was going on? 

His pacing came to a pause when he heard a familiar voice. 

Adrien turned to see Marinette walking down the steps, muttering to herself about her schedule and homework assignments. Before he could call out to her, though, they made eye contact. 

(Change to Marinette’s PoV)

Marinette and Adrien both froze, staring at each other for some time.

Finally, Adrien found it in himself to move. 

“We need to talk.” 

“Adrien, I don’t thin-” 

“Mari, _please_.” The boy pleaded. 

This caused Marinette to hesitate, biting her lip. 

Taking the opportunity, Adrien took a step forward, lowering his voice. 

“We agreed not to tell anyone. What are you doing?” Even though his voice was solely one of concern, Marinette felt herself getting upset.

“I didn’t deliberately find people to tell, it just happened.” She defended. “After yesterday, I was upset and Luka found me. He was worried so I told him what happened.” 

“But this isn’t the way to take care of Lila-” 

“I wasn’t taking care of Lila, I was taking care of me!” Marinette raised her voice slightly, but quickly brought it back down. 

Adrien stalled, not expecting her outburst. 

“No one believes me, Adrien.” 

“I believe you.” 

_That’s not enough_. Marinette thought, a bitterness rising in her throat.

Adrien, unaware of her true feelings, took another step forward, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. Any other day she would have melted at his touch. 

Not today. 

“So believe _me_ when I say exposing Lila isn’t the way to get others to believe you.” 

Anger flared up in her chest and she yanked her shoulder out of his grasp. 

“Really? Because it worked.” 

“Mari, it’ll only make you look bad-” 

“And I don’t look bad already?” 

“If you just let her lies crumble themselves-” 

Marinette let out a huff, opening her mouth to argue. 

“And how long is that going to take?” A voice interrupted instead, taking the words right out of her mouth. 

The two looked up to see Felix just now exiting the school, walking down the steps towards them.

“Felix, this doesn’t concern you.” Adrien said calmly, trying to be patient. 

“If the class is dumb enough to fall for Rossi’s lies so far, no matter how incredulous, it wouldn’t surprise me if she kept her grip on this school until we all go off to college.” Felix continued, not acknowledging Adrien’s insinuation to leave. 

Marinette, though it pained her slightly, agreed with everything Felix was saying. Lila had been stringing the class along for a while now- a month, at least. Who’s to say they’ll ever catch onto her lies? 

“We have to have faith in our friends.” Adrien, however, seemed to strongly disagree, and it made Marinette uncomfortable. 

“Why should she? They didn’t have any faith in her.” Felix responded curtly. 

This threw Adrien. He looked to Marinette for help, which was a grave mistake. 

The girl panicked, stuttering out a few “uhm”s and “well”s as she fiddled with her hands. 

“Is everything okay?” 

Marinette then felt a soft hand on her shoulder. Another savior. She glanced up at Luka, meeting his electric blue eyes with appreciation. Kagami, Aurore, and Wayhem were right behind him, all looking on the scene with a mix of concern and suspicion. 

With so many people now involved, Adrien didn’t see a point in trying to continue the conversation. 

He blew out a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“We’ll talk more about this later..” He grumbled, before turning on his heel and walking to his awaiting car. 

_No_. Marinette thought as she watched him drive off. _We won’t._

She had made her decision, and not even the charming “ray of sunshine” could change her mind.

~~~~~~

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Tikki asked later that night, not to dissuade her, but to make sure Marinette wasn’t going to regret it.

“I.. yes. I’m sure.” Marinette’s eyes filled with determination. “Felix is right. Why should I have faith in them when they didn’t have faith in me?” 

She didn’t think she could blatantly ignore her friends, but she would stop blaming herself for Lila’s actions. Marinette wasn’t going to let that be the focus of her life any longer. She would fight back when she felt the need to, but maybe she could just ignore Lila for now?

Tikki didn’t argue with her. She simply helped her holder with her homework for the evening. At least Marinette had some friends again. If she wanted to spend time with them, what was the harm?

~~~~~~~

Marinette walked into class the next morning feeling much more at ease than the day before. Sure, Lila’s lies still bothered her and they would undoubtedly give Marinette more trouble later. However, Marinette told herself, that was all the more reason to enjoy this moment of peace. So, as Lila rattled off her newest story to her mesmerized fans, Marinette quietly took her new seat in the back. 

Felix wasn’t there yet, giving Marinette some time to think of what she could do with her new group of friends. They could come over to her house to play games or bake treats together. Or maybe they could go on a picnic together! Marinette could bring all kinds of sweets, along with a blanket of her own design and complimentary drinks or- 

“Oh, I almost forgot to ask, do we get Marinette’s treats before or after Miss Bustier’s class?” Lila suddenly asked, bringing Marinette’s daydreams to a halt. 

The class, for once, appeared to be just as confused as her. 

“Marinette isn’t bringing any treats today.” Alya spoke up, giving the ravenette a questioning look. 

Marinette shook her head, confirming that she had indeed not brought any treats this morning. 

“Oh! My mistake!” Lila apologized, flailing her hands a bit. “I just thought since Marinette is such a good friend to you guys that she brought in cookies from the bakery once a week? Now that I think about it, I don’t even know where I got the idea.” 

Marinette glared at the Italian girl. It was obvious she was just trying to get free cookies while stirring up more trouble.

Somehow, the class rallied behind her and Marinette found herself pressured to make them cookies, for she would be awful and horrible and the worst if she didn’t. But then, Marinette felt compelled to. A spiteful thought poked the back of her head and festered and clouded over Marinette’s mind. 

Her lips curled into a smile. “Sure, I can bring some cookies to class tomorrow if you want.” 

They wanted cookies? Alright. She’d give them cookies. 

The class let out a few cheers and excitedly began chatting to each other about their favorite flavors. 

Not even a few minutes later, though, the excitement died in their throats as Felix Culpa walked into the classroom. He was met with eyerolls, glares, and a few bitter grumbles. 

Felix ignored all of them, walking straight to the back seat, once again sitting next to Marinette. 

“Good morning.” She greeted with a smile, pleased he chose to sit next to her again. This time, he couldn’t use the excuse of not being able to sit anywhere else, since almost all of the were still empty. 

Felix hummed in response, pulling out another book he had started the day before. 

_At least he’s not ignoring me like everyone else_. Marinette considered, studying him for a moment. 

“Hey, Marinette. Why don’t you come sit over here?” Alya suggested, keeping her glare on Felix. 

_Oh, now you want to sit with me?_ Marinette thought irritably, but she kept a smile. 

“That’s okay. I wouldn’t want to take Lila’s seat. Tinnitus is a serious issue, you know.” Although her tone was innocent, it was also just a bit too sweet. 

Felix hid a smile behind his book, but Alya frowned. 

“Lila can sit next to Adrien, it’s fine.” She reasoned. 

Now Nino frowned. He didn’t like being sacrificed to sit in the back with the wet blanket. 

“Oh, please, let the pastry girl sit in the back. The farther from me, the better.” Chloe cut in, rolling her eyes. 

Alya was quick to turn her glare to Chloe. 

“I’m sure she’s just as happy to be away from your sorry attitude.” The reporter snapped. 

Felix raised an eyebrow towards her behavior, Marinette furrowing her eyebrows. So Alya would defend her against Chloe, but not Lila? Weird.

“Guys, no one has to fight.” Lila spoke up, probably starved of attention already. “If you want to sit next to Marinette, I’ll move to back. I’m sure I can borrow notes after class?” She offered, slowly rising out of her seat like a lost kitten. 

Of course, the class rushed to comfort her. 

“It’s really alright.” Mylene assured. 

“You can stay in your seat.” Rose smiled.

“Marinette said she was fine anyway.” Alya swiftly recanted her previous request towards Lila’s pity party. 

_There it is_. Marinette and Felix seemed to think at the same time. 

Lila finally “gave in” to their persistence and remained in her seat. Around that time, Mrs. Bustier walked in, demanding the class’ attention, and started the lesson. 

The class settled in their seats and got out their tablets. Marinette stayed in the back.

~~~~~~

Felix blew out a sigh as he powered off his tablet to put in his backpack. It was just his luck that he was placed in the most incompetent class of his new school. Nevertheless, he supposed there were some people who weren’t complete idiots. 

“Luka said they’re eating at the cafeteria again today. Are you gonna join us?” 

The girl next to him smiled warmly, hoisting her bag over her shoulder.

Marinette. 

Although she could be obnoxiously sweet and a bit naïve, she was also sensible, hardworking, and honest. Those were qualities he could admire. 

“No, I’m going to the library.” Felix answered, picking up his brown, leather bag as well. He hadn’t had a chance to go through their book collection at the school yet. 

“Oh.. alright.” Marinette faltered. Was she disappointed? That was a first. 

She then pulled another bright smile, covering it up. 

“I’ll see you after lunch then.” She said hopefully, waving as she hopped down the steps. With that, she was gone. And Felix was by himself again. 

He stared after her for only a moment, before starting for the library. If he remembered correctly- and he usually did- it’s the room to the left of the gym. 

Felix ignored the hateful looks and whispers he received as he walked. Truth be told, he didn’t mind his classmates hating him. In fact, he quite enjoyed it at times. It made things much easier to focus on his work. Quietly. He was actually a bit enthusiastic about seeing their book collection. He’d heard it had quite the selection. That was a main reason he transferred to this school. 

Unfortunately, he was only able to get to the gym when someone called out to him. 

“Felix, wait up!” Lila nearly cooed, running over to him. 

He kept walking, ignoring her greeting. 

She was persistent, though. 

“I’ve been wanting to talk with you!” She beamed, coming up to hang loosely on his arm. “I felt like we got off to the wrong start.” 

Felix jerked his arm out of hers, quickening his pace without a word. He wasn’t interested in whether or not they got off to the wrong start. Lila was too flamboyant for them to ever be friends. Not to mention her lies and manipulations of the whole class. Felix might be cold to the touch, but he, at least, had morals. 

Lila flinched and took a step back, her hazel eyes glazing over in shock. She knew Felix was more closed off than her other classmates, but that usually worked. 

The girl recovered quickly, shaking her head and catching up to Felix again.

“Are you going to the library? I haven’t been there recently, but my uncle owns a library the size of this school back in Italy. Do you mind if I accompany you?” She asked sweetly. 

“Yes.” Felix answered shortly. This boy wasn’t budging. 

It was then Lila’s smile fell, her eyes getting wide and teary. 

“I-I didn’t mean to bother you..” She began, her gaze cast to the floor. “I just wanted to be friends.. Was it something I said? Did-” 

Lila gasped. “- did _Marinette_ say something to you?” 

Felix’s fresh glare told her everything she needed to know. 

“She did say something! Felix, please understand, whatever she told you isn’t true. Marinette doesn’t like me very much.. I know that, but-” 

Felix let out a frustrated groan, causing Lila to pause. 

“I don’t care what Dupain-Cheng said.” He bit off. “That isn’t the problem.” 

Lila frowned. 

“Then what is?” She asked in a hopeful tone. If she could find out the problem, then she could fix it. After all, Lila couldn’t have someone siding with Marinette. Once one person does, others might start to join in, and all of her hard work would go to waste. 

Felix’s reply, however, shattered her hope in an instant. “You.”

“I- what?” 

“ _You_ are the problem.” He repeated, shooting her another icy glare. 

The blonde didn’t pay attention to her sputters, simply walking passed her towards the library. Felix had business to attend to, and Lila wasn’t it.

~~~~~~

Lila scowled as she stalked back to the classroom for next period. That did _not_ go as planned. That was worse than when she confronted the pigtailed girl. 

At least Marinette gave her a _reason_ as to why she didn’t like her. Felix just brushed her off without so much as a care in the world. That might have been what irked her the most. 

Everyone had their quirks. Everyone had their ticks. And Lila had a specialty for finding those out and using them. But Felix, Felix wasn’t as naive or open as everyone else. He was guarded from the start. That was a problem she wasn’t quite sure how to fix. 

But as frustrating as it was, that wasn’t what she couldn’t wrap her head around. 

“Are you okay?” Alya asked as they slid into their seats. 

Lila looked up at her classmate, pulling a tight smile. 

“Of course! Just thinking about homework.” She lied, stealing a glance towards the back. 

Marinette appeared to be absently talking about something while doodling on her tablet. Felix intently listened, throwing in a comment or critique every now and then. 

_That’s_ what Lila didn’t understand. 

_He’s cold to everyone._ She nearly growled at the thought. _What’s so different about_ _~~her~~_ _?_

Out of everyone in the class, Felix just _had_ to talk to Marinette, the only person who wasn’t blinded by her lies. 

“Class, attention please.” Mlle. Bustier spoke up, tapping her pointer to the chalkboard.

Lila’s eyes suddenly lit up as something clicked in her mind. 

_“You are the problem”_ , Felix had said. That was why he talked to Marinette. She was the only one who didn’t like her. 

Lila felt a smile spread across her lips. Very well. If she couldn’t persuade Felix to her side, then she would flush him under with Marinette.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Lila pushing her to the end of her rope, Marinette leans to Luka for help, who in turn introduces her to quite an impressionable group.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no more notes for now lol I'm just gonna try to binge post these chapters so I can move to the next story :)

“Do you guys have a specific place you wanna go today?” Marinette asked the group as they walked down the front steps. **  
**

Aurore and Wayhem shrugged, while Luka hummed at the thought. 

“What about.. Your place?” He then suggested. 

“M-my place??” Marinette stuttered. 

Wayhem and Aurore were quickly on board with the idea.

“Yeah! I haven’t been to your house yet!” 

“And I haven’t been by the bakery in a while.” 

“It sounds like a good idea to me.” Kagami spoke up, curious as to what Marinette’s room looked like. 

The bluenette hesitated. She knew them coming over wouldn’t be a problem. It was just unexpected. 

“Felix?” Marinette then asked, looking up at the blonde who was quietly walking next to her. 

Felix glanced down at Marinette, a calculated expression on his features. 

“As long as I can read my book.” He finally answered, turning his attention back to the sidewalk. 

Aurore clapped her hands together, Wayhem let out a “yes!”, and Kagami smiled. 

“I guess that settles it.” Luka smirked, placing his hands on his hips.

Marinette blew out a sigh, but smiled. “Yeah. I guess it does-” 

“Marinette!” 

She had just gotten the sentence out when Alya called out to her. 

The group slowed as Marinette stopped and turned around to see her- former - best friend running up to her. 

“Can we talk?” Alya panted once she reached them, her gaze flicking to Luka and the others. “Alone?” 

Marinette frowned, turning to Luka and trying to catch his opinion. 

The guitarist shrugged, putting his hands in his jacket pockets. 

“It’s up to you, Mari”, she gathered, considering the soft yet understanding look in his eyes. 

“Five minutes.” Marinette finally agreed. 

Alya furrowed her eyebrows at the time limit, but brought her friend aside.

“I wanted to talk to you about-” the reporter cautiously glanced at the group again, before lowering her voice. “-about _Felix._ ” 

Marinette let out an exasperated sigh. “Alya-” 

“ _All I’m saying_ is that he’s not the nicest guy. He doesn’t like anyone and nobody likes him.” Alya lightly grabbed Marinette’s shoulders. “I’m just looking out for you. Even Lila gave him a bad rep when she came to class. If you keep hanging out with him, the class might start to turn on you to-” 

“And they haven’t already?” Marinette retorted, sliding Alya’s hands off her shoulders. 

The red head startled, hurt flashing through her eyes. “Mari-” 

“Look, I’ve gotta go. I’ll see you at school tomorrow.” Marinette cut her off, spinning on her heel towards the group. 

“Marinette!” Alya followed her, but stopped when Kagami, Aurore, and Wayhem subtly moved in front of Marinette, Luka putting a comforting hand on Marinette’s shoulder. 

“I’m sorry Alya. I’m just not in the mood.” Marinette apologized, before walking away. 

In a way, she was glad Alya was worried. Sadly, Alya was worried for the wrong reasons. Figures Alya’d start to “look out for her” when she was with someone Alya didn’t like.

Kagami and Aurore squinted at Alya a moment longer as Marinette left, then followed the rest of the group.

~~~~~~

Alya stared after Marinette, dumbfounded. What did she mean they already turned on her? And why did the others get so defensive when she tried to follow her? 

Alya frowned as the group walked out of sight. She was going to have to talk to Marinette again. Soon. 

Taking out her phone, Alya dialed in Adrien’s number. If anyone would be able to talk to her, it’d be him. 

It took a few rings, but eventually, Adrien answered her. 

“Hello?” 

“Adrien, it’s Alya. have you talked to Marinette recently? She’s acting pretty weird.” 

A pause. 

“Did something happen?” 

From the hesitance in his tone, Alya assumed he had talked to Marinette recently, and it didn’t sound like it went any better. 

“I mean, not really? I just- I tried to talk to her about Felix, but she got upset, and then said something about the class turning on her? I tried to talk to her more, but her friends got all defensive and in front of her so I couldn’t.” 

“Her friends”. Alya didn’t like how that sounded out loud. _They_ were supposed to be Marinette’s friends. Since when did she start hanging out with Kagami and Aurore and Wayhem, anyway? Luka, she supposed, was fine, except that he got a little protective of Mari as well. 

“… Okay. I’ll try to talk to her.” Adrien gave in, pulling her from her thoughts. 

“Oh, thank goodness. Tell me how it goes when you do.” Alya sighed in relief. 

They said their goodbyes and hung up. 

“Is something wrong, Alya?” Lila suddenly asked from behind her, batting her eyes. 

Alya jumped. 

“Oh, hi. I didn’t see you there.” She greeted absently. “No- nothing really.. Marinette’s just acting really weird.” 

“Marinette?” Lila tilted her head to the side, knitting her eyebrows.

“Yeah, she got all defensive when I tried to warn her about Felix.” Alya continued, putting her phone in her pocket. 

“What’s wrong with Felix?” The brunette said innocently. 

Alya raised her eyebrows at the comment. 

“What _isn’t_ wrong with Felix? He’s a jerk! You said so yourself he threatened you when you were just trying to help him find his way to the library earlier!” 

Lila hummed, nodding along thoughtfully. “Well, he only just got here. Maybe he’s just nervous, and isn’t good with people?” 

Alya blinked. “Man, Lila, how can you be so innocent?”

Lila simply shrugged, offering a friendly smile.

Alya sighed, though she returned the smile. “I don’t know why Mari has such a problem with you. You’ve got a heart of gold.” 

It took genuine effort for Lila not to laugh. 

~~~~~~

Upon entry, the group received a warm welcome and some treats on the house from Marinette’s parents. It had been awhile since she’d had some friends over so they were absolutely delighted at the company.

“Marinette, these pastries are delicious.” Luka sighed contentedly, biting into the flaky dessert. 

“I know right! Why do you think I come here so often?” Wayhem chirped, his voice muffled from his mouth being full of food. 

“Wayhem, why don’t you chew, then talk?” Kagami suggested with a small smile, before taking a bite of her quiche. 

The boy eagerly nodded, munching away on his baked goods. 

Marinette and Aurore giggled at the exchange, thoroughly enjoying their own treats as well. 

“Felix, why aren’t you eating?” Aurore then inquired, turning to the other new member of the group. 

His nose was in his book. his pastry? untouched. 

“I don’t like sweets.” He said nonchalantly, turning the page in his book.

Everyone stopped eating when they heard his reply, Wayhem dropping his pastry in shock. 

Felix glanced up at the unusual silence, meeting their gaze. 

“How can you not like sweets??” Luka asked incredulously. 

“Easily.” Felix remarked, going back to his book. 

“Can I.. can I have you’re pastry then?” Wayhem finally spoke up, already somewhat reaching for it. 

Felix shrugged. “Be my guest.” 

Wayhem grinned with glee as he swiped the treat, chomping down on it instantly. 

~~~~~~~~

Eventually, the conversation fell back into its usual, comfortable state, and soon the group was headed up to Marinette’s room. 

“Oh~ I love your room!” Aurore complimented, immediately bouncing around to look at her things. 

“It’s so.. Pink..” Kagami commented, looking around the attic room.

“And bright.” Felix added, squinting his eyes slightly from all the sunlight pouring in. 

“I think it looks great.” Luka grinned, looking around as well. 

Marinette smiled to herself at all of the little opinions of her room. She understood where some people didn’t like it, but she thought it was perfect.

“You guys wanna play some games?” She proposed, holding up a controller. 

“Oh yeah! I’ve been practicing!” Wayhem jumped for the other controller, intending to be first. 

“Sound fun!” 

“I’m in.” 

“Sure.” 

“I’ll watch.” 

Everyone gathered around the TV, except for Felix. He decided to settle in on the chase and continue reading. With that, the match began.

~~~~~~

Chat noir leaped from building to building, feeling the rush of wind through his hair. 

He had gotten a call from Alya earlier in the afternoon asking him to check on Marinette. Unfortunately, he had noticed her odd behavior as well, because she wasn’t really talking to him either. 

After running out of the classroom when Lila accused her of breaking her phone, Marinette came back differently. She was dazed for the rest of the day. Distracted. Adrien had noticed, he just didn’t mention it. 

Ever since then she’s been more closed off than before. It made Adrien nervous, and admittedly a bit frustrated. 

Originally, she was reasonable and accepted his talks when things started to get out of hand. She listened, and quieted down like they agreed to, and things went back to normal. Lila was sedated and the class calmed down as well. Everything was fine and peaceful like it was supposed to be. 

Now, however, she seemed to be refusing. It didn’t help that Felix was egging her on. 

When did they start talking anyway? He hadn’t seen Felix since they were kids. Since when was he around enough to become friends with Marinette?

Adrien couldn’t help, but feel a tinge of jealousy. They were supposed to be in this together, yet she seemed to be turning against everyone lately. Or at least, everyone in their class, except for Felix. 

He had to admit, it irked him that she was leaning on his cousin for help when he was right there. 

Chat quietly landed on Marinette’s balcony, her family bakery’s light illuminating the night sky. He was about to knock on the trapdoor like usual, but a series of laughter stopped him. 

_Is someone over?_ Chat pondered, slipping off the balcony and onto the roof. 

Carefully, he balanced himself on the tiles and peered into Marinette’s small, circular window. 

He wasn’t sure if what he saw was relieving or aggravating. 

Inside, Marinette and the group he assumed Alya was talking about earlier were practically rolling on the floor laughing. 

“I swear that’s _exactly_ what the producer said!” Aurore laughed, causing the others to laugh a little harder. 

Marinette wrapped her arms around her stomach. 

“It- it hurts!” She snorted, tears coming to her eyes from laughing so hard. 

Chat Noir’s tail swished from side to side. She looked completely normal from where he was standing. In fact, she looked _better_ than normal, and much happier than when she was in class that morning. 

“We’re never going to get our homework done at this rate.” 

Chat’s ear twitched as someone interrupted the laughter. His ears then went flat against his head when he turned to see Felix, sitting on the chaise with a text book in hand. 

The rest of the group quieted down, though their grins remained. 

“We didn’t have that much homework today. We’ll get it done.” Luka assured, picking up his pencil. 

“Not if you keep stopping to tell stories.” Felix countered, making Chat nearly growl. Why did he have to be so stiff? They were just having fun. 

To his surprise, the others didn’t get mad. They didn’t even show a hint of malice or annoyance towards the comment. 

“He’s right, we should keep working.” Kagami actually agreed.

Marinette and the others nodded along, picking up their pencils and focusing on the work. Of course, they would still chuckle or throw in their two cents every now and then, but other than that.. 

Chat didn’t get it. What did they see in Felix? He was cold, stiff, and all around a jerk in general. He was like that when they were kids too. Why did Marinette hang out with him? 

Felix wasn’t the only problem, though. It was all of them. They were good people, sure, but what made Marinette suddenly start talking with them?

Not to mention, she’s been acting.. off.. towards her other classmates, but here, with Luka and Felix and the others, she was her bright and cheery self.

_What happened?_

~~~~~~~~

It wasn’t until around 9pm. that the new group of friends started to leave. Chat shifted on the roof to get a better look, peering down at the group of teens exiting the building.

“I’ll see you guys tomorrow!” Marinette waved goodbye from the doorway. 

“See you later, Mari.”

“Bye, Marinette!” 

“Thanks for the macaroons!” 

Kagami waved goodbye, while Felix simply nodded in her direction. 

“Do you know how to get home from here Felix?” Marinette asked, almost forgetting to do so. 

“I believe so. I need to figure out the layout of Paris for future use anyway.” Felix said thoughtfully, before starting the walk home.

Chat intently watched Felix walk away, up until he passed a corner, out of sight. 

Just as Marinette started to go inside, he leapt from his hiding place, landing on the sidewalk in front of her. Had the act not been so familiar, she might have screamed. 

“Chat! what are you doing here?” She asked curiously, stepping inside the bakery. Smart decision. It probably wasn’t clever to talk out in the open, anyway.

“Why else, princess?” He purred, closing the door of the bakery as he followed her inside. “To see you, of course.” 

Marinette smirked and rolled her eyes, walking into the bakery kitchen. 

“Is that so? You’re lucky my parents already went up to the house for bed.” 

“So early? The night’s only just begun.” He grinned cheekily, sliding up next her. 

“They have to open the shop earlier tomorrow for a big delivery.” Marinette explained, moving away from him to get some flour from the cabinet. 

“And you?” 

“I have to make cookies for the class tomorrow.” 

Chat Noir tilted his head to the side curiously. He had heard something about that this morning. 

“Have to?” He joked, not intending her to take it seriously. 

“Yeah. Lila convinced everyone I owed them treats because my parents own a bakery.” 

He didn’t like the bitter tone in her voice when she said Lila’s name. 

“Meow-ch. Sounds like there might be a cat fight coming up.” He subtly prodded. Marinette appeared to be more open with Chat Noir than Adrien right now. He’d have to use that to his advantage. 

Marinette scoffed, rolling her eyes. 

“Oh, there probably would be, if it weren’t for _Adrien_.” 

Now he _knows_ he doesn’t like Marinette’s tone when she says _his_ name. It wasn’t bitter, more of irritated. 

“Oh?” Chat raised an eyebrow. 

Marinette blew out a sigh, mixing the ingredients with a bit more aggression than necessary. 

“No, it’s nothing. He just thinks it’s best that we let Lila lie since it’s ‘not hurting anyone’.” 

His ears flicked back when the last statement was made with obvious sarcasm. 

“I’m sure that’s not the only reason.” Chat defended, not thinking it through. 

Marinette shot him a look, but then it softened. 

“He says he doesn’t want her to get akumatized, that it’s not hurting anyone so what’s the big deal?” 

Chat didn’t get the chance to reply. 

Marinette placed the bowl back on the counter, turning the oven on. 

“Well, it’s hurting me..” She whispered, her expression downcast. 

This cause Chat to pause. He knew that Lila’s lies had been more directed towards Marinette recently, but he didn’t know it affected her this much.

“Why don’t- why don’t you talk to Adrien about it?” He asked cautiously. 

Marinette only shook her head, a sad smile coming to her lips. 

“He wouldn’t understand.” 

“But he would!” Chat wanted to say. He knew he would! Because _he_ was Adrien! He just needed to convince her. 

“Mari-” 

“It’s okay, Chat. I’m fine, really.” 

“You are?” He found himself asking. 

Marinette’s smile brightened. “Yeah. I’m starting to find some new friends anyway.” She informed, unaware of the bomb she had just dropped on him. 

_Finding new friends?_ Chat thought to himself, his ears drooping as ice seemed seep into his very veins. 

Was Marinette.. Was she replacing them? 

“W-well, I’m sure that they don’t actually mean to hurt you. Don’t you- shouldn’t you try to talk to them? At least once?” He stuttered, hoping she would see reason. 

Marinette offered him a soft smile, patting him on the head. 

“It’s really is alright, kitty. They didn’t believe me then, and they won’t believe me now.”

The comment was heartbreaking. If she was talking about telling them of Lila’s lies, then he supposed she was right. The others most likely wouldn’t believe her… but he did! And he had told her so! 

Unfortunately, he couldn’t see himself continuing the conversation without accidentally revealing his identity. So he watched her bake cookies, and started planning how he would talk to her tomorrow without outing his alternate identity.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Lila pushing her to the end of her rope, Marinette leans to Luka for help, who in turn introduces her to quite an impressionable group

Adrien came into school the next morning determined to talk to Marinette again. And this time- _this time_ -he would get her to listen. He had to, or their very friendship was at risk. **  
**

He expected her to be off again. He expected her to be upset. It was only natural, he supposed. 

What he didn’t expect, was Marinette walking into the classroom- early at that- with a bright smile and a box full of delicious looking cookies. 

He didn’t hesitate to take one when she told them to have their fill. She didn’t try to challenge Lila. she didn’t give any subtly snarky remarks. She just cheerfully walked to the back and sat down, watching over them with a small cup of tea. 

_I guess she came around._ Adrien thought with relief. He knew she would. It was Marinette, after all. Why did he ever doubt her? 

Then he took a bite of the cookie. 

Immediately upon doing so, he gagged at the unexpectedly nasty taste. The rest of the class began spitting out the cookies as well, turning to a smiling Marinette. These were _oatmeal_ cookies. 

“You gave us oatmeal!” Alya said, throwing the offending food aside.

“Is there a problem? I thought you guys said you wanted cookies?” Marinette asked innocently, resting her chin on the back of her hand.

Adrien frowned when he realized what she had done. This was planned, possibly planned from the very beginning when she accepted Lila’s prodding. 

It only made matters worse when Felix came to her defense. Again. 

“You should have been specific in what you wanted, especially since Dupain-Cheng is making these for free.” 

What he said wasn’t wrong, but that wasn’t the point. Marinette knew quite well that no one in the class liked oatmeal cookies. She deliberately made them oatmeal instead of chocolate chip to get back at the class. 

_It’s alright._ Adrien assured himself, pulling out his tablet for first period. 

He’d talk to her. They would get through this. Adrien would make- _help_ her understand what she was doing and they would fix it. After all, they were in this together. 

~~~~~~

“When did the class tell you they wanted cookies?” Felix inquired as they walked through the lunch line. He didn’t remember that exchange in class. 

“They asked me yesterday morning before you came in.” Marinette said, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips as she remembered their reactions. 

Felix nodded understandingly. “That was quite a clever trick, Dupain-Cheng. I didn’t know you had it in you.” 

Marinette blinked at him. “Was that- was that a _compliment_?”

“An _observation_.” Felix corrected, giving her a warning look. 

Marinette smiled nonetheless. Compliment or observation, she was pleased to hear it. 

After paying for their lunch, Marinette and Felix headed for the group table. They had decided to get their food at the cafeteria, but they were actually gonna go eat at the park today. 

Unfortunately, Marinette was stopped by Alya before she could reach them.

 _I just can’t catch a break, can I?_ Marinette mentally sighed, facing the redhead that was asking something about her table. 

She was asking her to sit with them, Marinette realized. 

Frowning slightly, Marinette glanced over Alya’s shoulder towards the table she was gesturing to. At the moment, Adrien, Nino, and Lila were sitting there watching them, anticipating her response. Even though Lila was there, at least Nino, Adrien, and Alya wanted her to sit with them, right? 

_But why now?_ Marinette couldn’t help but wonder. 

“I know you and Lila don’t really get along, but if you just got to know her better-” 

Marinette stopped listening at that point. She understood what Alya was trying to do- really, she did -but Marinette _did_ know Lila. That was the problem. It was everyone else who needed to get to know her better. 

“Alya, I can’t.” Marinette cut her off. 

Alya blinked, then put her hands on her hips in annoyance. “You can’t? Why not?” 

“I’m already eating with Luka and Felix and the others.” She explained, gesturing to the group that was patiently waiting for her near the exit. 

“You’re choosing them over us?” The hurt in Alya’s tone was clear. So why did Marinette feel like Alya was just trying to guilt-trick her? 

“She’s choosing a previously planned engagement over a spontaneous one. It’s nothing to take personally.” Felix finally jumped in, to Marinette’s relief. She hadn’t expected him to wait with her to join the group. Marinette was glad he did, though. 

Alya’s expression turned sour. “Back off, Felix. This is between me and Marinette.”

“I’m choosing a previously planned engagement over a spontaneous one. It’s nothing to take personally.” Marinette remarked, repeating Felix’s statement verbatim. 

frustration flash across Alya’s features before the reporter groaned- more of growled- and stormed off, grumbling something along the lines of “fine, be that way.” 

Marinette sighed, turning to Felix. “Thanks, again.”

The blond shrugged. “It’s not a problem. Ready for the park?”

A smile graced her lips. “absolutely.”

~~~~~

The park turned out to be the refreshing breath of air Marinette needed. Her troubles with her classmates seemed to blow away with the wind as she chatted with Luka and the others. 

Felix still kept to himself, but he was starting to look up from his book more and more often, which she took as a good sign. 

“Where are we gonna go today?” Aurore asked at one point, balling up her empty wrapper. 

“We’re hanging out again today?” Marinette gasped, her bluebell eyes sparkling. After a month of being isolated in the class, hanging out with friends again was the best feeling Marinette could think of. 

“As long as you’re up for it.” Luka smiled, picking up bits of everyone’s trash to go put it in the bin. 

“Oh! We should go to the Louvre today! I heard they just put in a new art gallery.” Wayhem blurted out, almost bouncing in place out of sheer excitement. 

Marinette tilted her head to the left with interest. “I didn’t know you liked the art galleries, Wayhem.”

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.” Wayhem winked, obviously joking. 

Aurore snorted, while Kagami and Luka smiled. 

Marinette giggled, looking to Luka. “The Louvre sounds like fun. What do you think?” 

“I don’t mind going to the Louvre.” 

“I’m sure my mother will be pleased with me going to a museum.” Kagami mused, getting a smirk on her lips. 

Aurore smiled brightly, clearly on board with the idea. “Are you gonna be coming with us, Felix?” 

The group turned to Felix. 

He looked up from his book to see all eyes on him, specifically Marinette’s.

Her gaze was hopeful, but also patient. 

“I suppose a trip to the museum would be beneficial.” He relented, causing everyone to cheer.

It was just a museum. What could possibly happen?

~~~~~~

Class couldn’t end soon enough after Felix and Marinette got back from the park. 

Strangely, Felix actually found himself getting excited about the trip. The Louvre was filled with antiques and art that dated from yesterday to centuries previous. He was curious to see what kinds of artifacts he could find. 

Marinette was somewhat adamant that they leave as soon as class was over. Felix didn’t blame her. After the minor argument in the cafeteria, Cessaire was still a mixture of hurt and annoyed by her rejection. 

Not to mention, Agreste had been staring back at Marinette for most of the class. To the point that Felix had to resist the urge to physically turn the boy’s head back to Mlle. Bustier himself. 

He liked to think Agreste staring at Marinette so intently only made him aggravated because of their unsaid feud, but it felt like there was more reason behind it. Marinette seemed uncomfortable as well, which only made Felix even more irritated when the model wouldn’t let up. 

When the bell finally rang, Marinette was on her feet and out the door in seconds, Felix not far behind.

Adrien tried to follow and get Marinette’s attention. Lucky for them, he didn’t get the chance since Kagami’s car was already parked out front. 

Felix helped Marinette into the car, before getting in himself. It only took a few extra seconds for the others to meet them, and then they were gone.

~~~~~

Next thing Felix knew, he was walking into the Louvre, being urged by the others to move faster so they could see it all. 

“If we run past all of them, we won’t get to fully appreciate their beauty.” Felix pointed out, gesturing to an oil painting on the wall to his right. 

“‘The Raft of the Medusa’, for example. It was painted in the 19th century by Théodore Géricault. It depicts the survivors of the Medusa shipwreck calling for help when they see the outline of a ship that could save them.” He explained in a knowing tone. 

At this point, the group had walked back over to Felix, studying the painting as he spoke. 

“Do you know the history of _all_ the paintings?” Marinette asked, intrigue lacing he tone. 

It caused Felix to hesitate. “Well, Probably not all of them, but most of these paintings, yes.” 

Marinette nodded thoughtfully, studying the painting before them.

“Tell me more.” She then requested, giving him a soft smile. 

Felix stared blankly at her for a moment, admittedly stunned. He didn’t think she would want to hear about it. No one usually did. 

_She wouldn’t ask if she didn’t want to know, though_. He considered. 

So Felix did. He brought Marinette on a “tour” of some sorts, describing each painting and its history. Anything he couldn’t remember, Marinette made a point to ask a worker or look it up. She was genuinely interested in what he was saying, taking in every word. It made Felix feel.. Pleased, and content. That someone actively sought out his opinions or knowledge was a nice change. 

Since Marinette was so interested in the history, it caused the rest of the group to start asking questions as well. By the time they left the museum, Felix’s throat actually kind of hurt from talking so much. 

~~~~~~

“Do you guys need a ride home?” Kagami offered as they walked outside. The sun had long since set at this point. 

_I didn’t realize we’d been here so long._ Marinette thought to herself, looking up at the clear night sky. 

A crescent moon peeked over the Eiffel Tower, providing a soft, silver glow amongst the buildings of Paris. 

“That’d be nice if you don’t mind.” Luka accepted. The river wasn’t far from where they were, but he didn’t feel like walking home at this hour. 

“Wayhem and I are walking home together as usual.” Aurore politely declined, linking her arm with Wayhem’s. 

“My house is only a few blocks from here.” Marinette also declined, gesturing towards the buildings to the right. 

“Are you sure? I can walk with you if you want.” Luka suggested, a hint of concern in his voice. 

Marinette almost had to keep herself from laughing. It was sweet that he was concerned, but it was an entertaining thought for someone to worry about _Ladybug’s_ safety. 

Before she could reply, however, Felix spoke up. “I’ll walk with her. The bakery is on the way to my house.” 

The group was a bit surprised, but nodded. 

“Cool, see you guys tomorrow!” Wayhem said with a wave, starting the walk to Aurore’s house. 

Luka and Kagami said their goodbyes to Marinette and Felix and got into the car. 

The two lingered for a moment, quietly watching the car drive off. 

“Shall we get going?” Felix then asked, turning to Marinette once the car was out of sight. 

Marinette pulled a sweet smile. “Let’s.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Lila pushing her to the end of her rope, Marinette leans to Luka for help, who in turn introduces her to quite an impressionable group.

Footsteps echoed through the empty streets of Paris as they walked. Felix reveled in the warm, night air, feeling the wind’s gentle sway in his hair. **  
**

It was strange, Felix thought, that he would enjoy a regular night such as this so much. He had been on plenty of evening walks through Paris. So why did this one feel.. Different somehow?

A contented sigh pulled him from his wonderings, and he glanced over at the bubbly girl walking next to him. She held her usual, bright smile, her bluebell eyes filled with awe as she took in the Paris lights.

Felix drew in a small breath.

 _It’s her_ , he realized. It was Marinette. _She_ was the reason today would be a day he remembered fondly. Then again, he supposed he shouldn’t be surprised. The ravenette had a knack for taking ordinary things and making them better, brighter. It amazed him, the way Marinette looked at the world. Felix was an extremely realistic and logical person. He always thought he knew the world to be exactly what it was, selfish and idiotic, a disappointment. But Marinette.. She saw the world in a completely different light, a way he couldn’t fathom. It made him want to.. Live more, so to speak.

“I suppose I should thank you.”

Marinette hummed in response, tilting her head slightly as she looked up at him. “Thank me? For what?” 

Felix smiled at that. It was just like her, completely unaware of her recent effect on him. 

“For today. I enjoyed it more than I expected, and I feel I owe that to you.” 

He watched as her eyes widened, and her cheeks tinged a light pink.

“O-oh, well- I mean, I didn’t really do- do anything much. It’s just- uhm…” She sputtered out, fiddling with her hands and her hair and anything really.

The blonde hesitated at the reaction. He figured she’d be surprised at the confession, or even pleased. He hadn’t expected her to fall into a stuttering mess.

“Well,” Felix began cautiously, “I still thank you all the same.”

Marinette’s blush deepened, but she shrugged. “I-I guess you’re welcome.” 

~~~~~~~

Marinette blew out a sigh as she opened the trapdoor to her balcony. She was still blushing and kicking herself for stuttering earlier. That embarrassment was gonna stick with her for awhile.

“It really wasn’t that bad, Marinette.” Tikki insisted, snuggling into her holder’s cheek.

Marinette only groaned, burying her face in her hands. “You say that, but he probably thinks I’m an idiot now.” 

She didn’t plan for Felix walking her home, let alone for him to thank her. And that smile? It was small, but there, and a complete surprise. Honestly, she wasn’t even shocked when she became clumsy with her words. Felix, this guarded, reserved- some may argue cold- classmate of hers became so sincere and open in an instant. She couldn’t help, but want to see more of it. 

“It didn’t sound like he did.” Tikki pointed out with a comforting smile.

Marinette lifted her head, looking at her kwami with a small pout. She then rested her chin on her palm, leaning on the balcony. As much as she wanted to argue, it was her night to patrol, so she should probably get going.

She quickly scanned the streets, hoping to just transform there.

Who she saw confused her.

“Isn’t that Felix?” Marinette thought aloud, pointing towards the sidewalk a small distance away. 

“It certainly looks like him.” Tikki confirmed, squinting at the figure. That wouldn’t be so weird, except he was walking in the direction they had just come. 

“I thought he said his house was on the way here.” Marinette frowned. 

“Maybe he just wanted to walk with you? Tikki suggested. 

The idea made Marinette flush all over again. 

“You- you think so?”

“I do! He said he had wanted to thank you and probably saw walking to your house as a good opportunity!” Tikki beamed. 

Marinette drew in a breath, calming herself. There had to be another reason, right? Maybe it was like Luka, and Felix was just worried for her safety?

“Let’s-Let’s think about that later. Right now, we should really start patrol. Tikki, spots on!”

~~~~~~~

Paris looked even better as Ladybug jumped from rooftop to rooftop.

She thought about trailing Felix to make sure he got home alright, but decided against it when she thought about getting caught. 

“It’s a Purr-fect night tonight, don’t you think My lady?” 

Ladybug came to a halt when her partner called out to her. 

“For once, I can agree.” She smiled, looking at the calike heroine on the rooftop across from her. 

Chat Noir closed the distance between them, taking her hand into his.

“It’s not near as perfect as you, though, Bugaboo.” He winked, pressing a feather light kiss to her knuckles. 

Ladybug slipped her hand out of his with a roll of her eyes and a playful smirk. 

“What are you even doing out tonight? You’re supposed to be getting sleep.” She scolded. 

Chat Noir gave her a small pout. 

“I thought you’d be happy to see me, My Lady. I admit it hurts.” 

“Stop avoiding, Chat.” Ladybug said in a stern yet somewhat coaxing tone. She’s known him long enough to know something’s up. 

Chat hesitated at the order, scratching the back of his head. 

“I just couldn’t get any sleep, that’s all.” He smiled sheepishly.

Ladybug squinted at him, crossing her arms and letting out a small huff. He was hiding something. 

“Just make sure you go home soon, alright?” 

Unfortunately, it wasn’t her place to pry. 

Chat perked up and grinned. “As you wish, Bugaboo.” 

Ladybug tisked, hiding a smile, and swung off with her yoyo. 

Chat followed closely behind.

-

With the unexpected company, she made her rounds faster than she thought she would. 

“Do you have to go home, now?” Chat whimpered, ears drooping. “We could hang out for a while? Enjoy the night?” 

Ladybug offered a soft smile. 

“Sorry, kitty. This bug’s got school tomorrow. I can’t stay out any later than I need to.” She apologized, reaching up to give him a scratch behind his cat ears. 

Chat leaned into her touch and sighed. “I know. You’re right. You always are.” 

“Goodnight, Chat.” 

“Night, LB.” 

The two then parted, Ladybug swinging home while Chat continued to roam the streets.

~~~~~~

Marinette dragged herself into the classroom the next morning, almost tripping on the stairs from drowsiness. Despite going to bed right after patrol, Marinette spent the night awake with jumbled thoughts. Worrying about Chat Noir, dreading going to school tomorrow, and thinking about Felix and his strange, yet accepted behavior. By the time she woke up the next morning, Marinette had only gotten a few hours of sleep. 

Felix raised an eyebrow as the girl sat down. “You look exhausted.”

“You noticed?” Marinette retorted, rubbing her eyes and squinting at the door as her classmates came piling in. 

While Marinette was on the brink of collapsing, Lila appeared to be as energetic as ever, as if she had taken Marinette’s energy as her own. The class swarmed her as usual, drinking in her every tale. 

Marinette only pried her eyes from Lila when she noticed Felix pouring something into his drink. 

“Did you just pour an energy drink into your triple-shot coffee??” 

“It was a long night and it’s going to be an even longer day.” Felix answered simply, popping the lid back onto his coffee cup. 

“…Can I have a sip?” The words tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop them. Being this tired led to an extreme lack of inhibition. 

Felix glanced up at her, that familiar, calculated expression across his features. Then, without a word, he pushed the cup towards her. 

Marinette thanked him, taking a quick sip as requested. 

True to form, Felix’s coffee was as bitter as his attitude towards the rest of the class. At least it gave Marinette the small boost she needed to start her day.

~~~~~~~

Felix took another drink of his coffee, thankful Mlle. Bustier allowed cups in her class. The walk home took longer than he thought, especially after taking Marinette home. The outcome was productive, though, so he found the detour worthwhile. Besides, the coffee was keeping him awake. No harm done. 

Of course, he couldn’t say the same for Marinette. Her head began bobbing up and down as soon as Mlle. Bustier began teaching. The longer the class dragged on, Marinette’s eyes grew heavier and heavier.

He tried to assist in nudging her when she closed her eyes for too long.

Unfortunately, the process just repeated itself. Finally, she gave in to her drowsiness and- with a light *thud*- rested her forehead on their desk.

Felix heaved a mental sigh. She was lucky she didn’t snore. 

His gaze flickered back and forth from the teacher to Marinette as he propped a book up in front of her to hide the fact she was sleeping. 

He would have let her sleep through the whole class had it not been for the sudden rumbling through the school. 

Mlle. Bustier paused her lecture, glancing around the classroom. 

Felix narrowed his eyes as the rest of the class became antsy, looking out the windows or into the hallway. 

“What’s goi-” He couldn’t even get his question out before another rumble shook the entire school, causing students to lose their balance and books to be knocked over. 

It was then Marinette shot up, hearing the screams of the class. 

“What happened? What’s going on?” She asked, immediately turning her attention to the door and standing up. 

“I don’t know. Something made a thunder noise and everyone started panicking.” Felix answered, standing up as well, mostly because Marinette did. 

Mlle. Bustier was still trying to calm the class. Alya was already out the door to “get the scoop”. Adrien wasn’t there either, so it was assumed he went with her. 

“An akuma..” Marinette muttered, slipping out of her seat and running towards the door. 

“A what?” Felix sputtered, following after her. He’d seen Akumas before, over the TV or in the sky. He’d never actually been in an akuma attack before, though. 

He swung open the classroom door, but Marinette was nowhere in sight. Instead, he found students running around like headless chickens for an exit, some lying on the floor unconscious. 

Above it all, floated a woman dressed in blues and purples, her black hair pulled into a bun, and her eyes a sparkling gold. It was unsettling, but also beautiful- in an other-worldly sort of sense. 

“I am Nocturne.” Her voice echoed through the school, clueing Felix in on where the rumbling had come from. “We’ve spent too long sacrificing our sleep for such useless information and worthless letters. It is time we get the rest we need.” 

She held out a golden staff, lightly tapping the end of it on someone’s head.

The person immediately slowed down, their eyes rolling back, before they collapsed on the ground. 

Felix took a step back, still looking around for Marinette. She couldn’t have just disappeared, right? Had she been hit? 

He scanned the ground for her familiar blue hair. Nothing. 

“You!” 

His gaze snapped upward. 

The villain was staring him dead in the eyes. “You look like you could use a nap.” 

With a malicious smile, she outstretched her staff. 

He flinched backwards, but she was too close to evade. Or so he thought. 

A flash of red appeared in his vision, then he was pushed backwards. 

He stumbled, barely managing to keep his balance. 

“Give it up, Nocturne! It doesn’t have to be this way!” Another voice joined the party. 

Initially, Felix thought it was Marinette, due to the pigtails and the similar voice. 

When he regained his thoughts, however, he realized it was, in fact, the red clad heroine, known as Ladybug. He had never seen her up close either. 

“Oh, but I’m afraid it does.” Nocturne shot back, thrusting her staff in Ladybug’s direction. 

The hero ducked, grabbed the staff, and yanked it out of her grasp. 

The Akuma sneered, holding out her hand. As if magnetic, the staff rushed back into her hands, taking Ladybug with it. 

Ladybug yelped as Nocturne tilted her staff forwards, trying to tap Ladybug’s head. 

She was too fast, though. Ladybug swung herself forward, kicking Nocturne in the stomach and flipping backwards. 

She landed in front of Felix, putting a protective arm in front of him. 

“Get to safety!” She ordered, keeping her eye on the akuma. 

“I can’t, I have to find one of my classmates!” He refused, glancing around the hall yet again. 

He could’ve sworn he saw Ladybug pause- just for a moment. 

“She’s safe. Don’t worry, you need to go.” She repeated, tensing when the villain finally recovered from her blow. 

Felix raised an eyebrow. “How did you know it was a girl?” 

Ladybug grimaced at the mistake, though Felix couldn’t see. 

Nocturne lunged forward towards Ladybug, but was stopped when a silver baton extended into her path. 

“Hope I’m not interrupting.” The black clad heroine grinned. 

Nocturne glared at the feline. 

“You’re late.” Ladybug remarked.

“Sorry, M’Lady, got a bit held up.” 

Nocturne jumped at the cat, who jumped off the railing, landing next to Ladybug.

With Chat Noir as their defense, Ladybug scooped up Felix- with _harsh_ protests on his part- and darted off to find a hiding place. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Lila pushing her to the end of her rope, Marinette leans to Luka for help, who in turn introduces her to quite an impressionable group.

Ladybug slipped into one of the- now vacant -classrooms, setting Felix down next to the teacher’s desk. **  
**

“Hide here until it’s safe.” She instructed, grabbing her yo-yo and heading for the door. 

“Wait! Where’s Dupain-Cheng? You said she was safe.” He demanded, fixing her with a cold glare. You’d think he’d be more grateful after she saved his life. 

“She is safe.” Ladybug answered shortly. 

“How did you know she was the one I was looking for?” He asked next, repeating his question from earlier. 

“Uh, she~ she came and alerted me that there was an akuma and to make sure a blonde in a dress shirt got to safety too.” She lied, anxiously pushing her fingers together. 

Felix frowned and opened his mouth to ask more questions, but Ladybug was already out the door. She knew Felix was too smart for his own good, and after that minor mistake earlier, he was bound to figure out her identity if she stayed. 

Besides, her cat couldn’t hold off the akuma for long.

~~~~~~

Chat Noir ducked and dodged Nocturne as much as he could. He managed to lure her outside, away from the school. From all the commotion they were making, though, Ladybug was sure to find them even if they were halfway across Paris. 

“It’s time for you to take a cat nap, ‘kitty’.” Nocturne growled, jabbing her staff at him for the tenth time. 

He jumped, causing her to hit his side instead of his head. 

Chat fell back, wincing as he grabbed onto his ribs. It vaguely reminded him of when they fought Hawkmoth on Heroes’ day. 

Nocturne grinned, lifting her staff to tap him on the head, when a yo-yo wrapped around the end of it to stop her.

“Not so fast.” Ladybug interjected, pulling on her yo-yo. 

The staff slipped from Nocturne’s grasp, easily gliding into Ladybug’s hands. 

“Haven’t you learned?” The akuma sang, holding out her hand.

Ladybug came flying forwards, but this time, she turned herself to kick Nocturne in the face. 

The akuma stumbled backwards, holding her face and groaning. 

“Yes, I have.” Ladybug breathed, shifting the staff in her hands to face Nocturne. 

“Good job, M’Lady.” Chat complimented. 

Ladybug nodded, carefully tapping Nocturne on the head with the golden staff. It was her source of power, but it most likely wasn’t where the akuma was hidden. She figured it would be easier to search Nocturne while she was asleep.

Nocturne, however, let out an eerie laugh when she was tapped on the head. “You think that’ll work on _me_?” 

She grabbed the staff, twisting it in Ladybug’s hands. 

“This is _my_ staff! _I_ control _it!_ ” 

She then ripped it from the heroine, swinging it at Ladybug’s head. 

Ladybug and Chat Noir jumped back, giving Nocturne the opportunity to swing at Ladybug’s legs and knock her over. 

Once the red clad heroine was on the ground, Nocturne rolled away from them and got to her feet. 

“Chat Noir!” Ladybug signaled, getting to her feet as well. 

He summoned his cataclysm as per the silent instruction, and lunged for the staff. Nocturne dodged the attack, using her staff to push his hand to the road. This caused the entire road beneath them to collapse. 

Ladybug and Chat Noir yelped as they fell, but Nocturne stayed in the air. There certainly were perks to flying.

~~~~~

Ladybug grunted as she hit the cement of the sewer. She heard Chat’s miraculous beep out a warning on the other side. 

The villain cackled overhead. 

They were cornered. 

In a moment of Panic, she called her Lucky Charm. Unfortunately, only a teacup landed in her hands. She knew exactly what it was, though. 

“Chat!” 

“M’lady?” Chat groaned, rubbing his head as he pulled himself off the ground. 

Ladybug jumped over to him and swung her yo-yo towards a building outside of the hole. 

“We need to fall back for now. I have an idea.” She informed, wrapping her arm around his waist and pulling them out with the yo-yo.

Nocturne attempted to stop them, but Chat used his feet to push her down.

Once they were hidden behind a chimney, the two split up. 

Chat ran to an alley to recharge, and Ladybug cautiously made her way to Master Fu’s.

~~~~~~

“What can I do for you, Ladybug?” Master Fu greeted as Marinette entered the small dojo.

“Tikki led me here. I think I need another miraculous.” She informed, walking towards the ancient music box. 

“You should use the Bee miraculous! It will immobilize Nocturne so you can take the staff and the akumatized item.” Tikki suggested, pointing at the hair pin. 

Marinette thought it over, making sure to plan every possible outcome. Using more than one miraculous was dangerous.

“Who would I be able to give it to, though?”

Master Fu smiled reassuringly, handing her the hair pin. “I don’t doubt that you will find the right holder. Trust your instincts, Marinette.”

Marinette bit her lip, but nodded, taking the miraculous.

“I’ll make sure to bring it back as soon as I can.” She ensured, getting to her feet and rushing out of the exit.

~~~~~~

Ladybug ran across the rooftops, furrowing her eyebrows with worry when she noticed the bodies littering the streets. She prayed they were just sleeping like Nocturne had claimed. 

She landed in front of the school, twirling the hair pin in her hand. Chloe wasn’t aloud to be Queen Bee anymore because of her identity, she didn’t feel comfortable giving a miraculous back to Alya or Nino anymore, and Ladybug doubted Felix would be eager to help her after his reaction to her earlier. 

Then it clicked for her. What about one of her other new friends? She knew another blonde that was definitely trustworthy and loyal.

With renewed determination, Ladybug steeled herself, and ran inside.

~~~~~~

Aurore tisked as she glanced around the empty gym. She had tried to stay with her friends, but after the akuma- Nocturne, was it?- started making people fall asleep, the rest of the school panicked, and separated them. She ended up hiding behind the staircase. 

It was quiet now, but the chaos of the akuma could still be heard in the distance. 

I hope Ladybug and Chat Noir get rid of her soon. She thought to herself in light frustration. It made her aggravated that she couldn’t help in some way.

Aurore was contemplating if she should come out from under the staircase to look for Wayhem when she heard the front doors to the school. She stepped further behind the staircase, squinting through the gaps in the stairs to see the intruder. Then, she heard a familiar voice. 

“Aurore?” Ladybug whispered, looking around the gym. 

Aurore raised her eyebrows in surprise, stepping out into the open. 

“Ladybug! Is the akuma gone?” 

“Unfortunately, no. I need your help.” 

Anticipation swelled in the pit of her stomach. “You need my help? I mean, sure, but how can I help?” 

Ladybug smiled, holding out a small, black box with red inscriptions.

“Aurore Beaureal, I present to you the Bee miraculous of subjection. Will you help me take down the akuma?” 

Aurore stared at the box in awe. Was this really happening??

“O-of course!” She grinned, gently taking the box from Ladybug hands and opening it. 

A small, golden orb appeared over a silver hair pin. The orb flew around in circles for a moment, before forming into a small, bee-like creature. 

“Hello, My queen. My name is Pollen, your kwami, at your service.” The being introduced itself, swooping into a small bow. 

“Nice to meet you! I’m Aurore.” Aurore replied, fixing the hair pin to fit in her hair. “So, how does this work?” 

“Your power is “Venom”. Once you use it, you have five minutes before you transform back. Just say “Pollen, Buzz On” to transform.” 

“Remember, once this is over, I’m gonna need the miraculous back. And you can’t tell anyone that you’re.. What’s your hero name?” Ladybug jumped in, hiding her giddiness at being able to give Aurore a miraculous. She had no doubt they’d make a great team. 

Aurore tilted her head in thought. She then pulled a wry grin. 

“Call me Bumblebee! And don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.” She promised. 

Ladybug smiled, trusting her fully. “Alright. Let’s get going. Chat’s probably taking on Nocturne right now.” 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Lila pushing her to the end of her rope, Marinette leans to Luka for help, who in turn introduces her to quite an impressionable group

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I keep rewriting the summary while posting these and I swear it's going to be ingrained into my memory by the time this is over lol

Chat Noir managed to recharge rather quickly, but when he got back into the fight, Ladybug was nowhere to be found. **  
**

“Where could she be?” he thought aloud, scouring the rooftops for his Lady.

“Chat Noir!” Ladybug suddenly called from behind him. He turned around to see not one, but two heroes. Ladybug, of course, and a familiar, bee-like heroine. Except..

“That’s not Queen Bee?” He said in confusion. This new hero had two ponytails instead of one, and they were longer. Not to mention, she had black fuzz lining her waist and.. Were those shoulder pads?

Ladybug smiled, gesturing to their new friend. “Chat Noir, this is Bumblebee. She’s gonna help us out.” 

Bumblebee gave an excited wave and a bright grin. 

Chat squinted, putting his hands to his hips as he scrutinized the new hero. Then he smirked. 

“Any friend of My Lady is a friend of mine.” He extended his hand, which Bumblebee gladly took. 

Unfortunately, the introduction was interrupted by another loud crash. 

“Bumblebee, you know the plan.” Ladybug nodded to new recruit, who returned her nod before leaping onto another rooftop. 

“Chat Noir, help me distract Nocturne a little longer.” She then ordered next, glancing at him and jumping off the roof towards the crash. Chat followed without question, using his baton for momentum.

-

It didn’t take long to overlap Nocturne once again. To Ladybug’s dismay, there were even more people asleep now. Nocturne cackled as she flew through the streets, touching anyone she could with her staff.

“Hey, Sandman! Looking for us?” Chat Noir called out to her, causing the akuma to pause. 

“As a matter of fact, I was! Hawkmoth still needs those pretty jewels of yours that he’s so obsessed with!” She shouted, bolting in their direction. Ladybug and Chat Noir scattered, basically starting a game of cat and mouse. 

Nocturne raced after them, tapping anyone else she came in contact with along the way. She was so focused on the two main heroes, she didn’t notice the yellow blur following close behind her. 

“So, what’s the plan again?” Chat whispered, peeking around a chimney. Nocturne was currently searching the rooftops for them. They didn’t have much time till she found their hiding spots.

“You’ll see.” Ladybug smirked, landing next to him.

“Ah! There you are!” The akuma grinned, causing Chat to jump. She raised her staff, and Chat went to dodge, but Ladybug just stood there with a smile. 

He almost called out to her when the akuma suddenly sucked in a breathe, going completely still. That’s when he saw Bumblebee standing proudly behind her, clipping her top back to her side.

“Great Work!” Ladybug praised, pulling out the akumatized item, which was a balled up piece of paper.

“Thanks, it went better than I expected.” Aurore smiled appreciatively. 

Ladybug broke the akumatized item, then purified it. That was when Bumblebee’s miraculous beeped. 

“It was nice meeting you, Bumblebee. Maybe we can see each other under better circumstances next time.” Chat Noir joked, leaning on his baton with a cheshire grin.

“Not likely, kitty.” Ladybug smiled, giving a small wave. Bumblebee waved as well, before leaving with Ladybug to give back her miraculous.

~~~~

The two managed to sneak back into the gym without a problem. Thankfully, everyone was still groggy from waking up, so no one was there yet. Aurore detransformed, handing Ladybug the miraculous.

“If there’s anything else I can do to help, just let me know!” She said sincerely.

“I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks for your help today.” 

Aurore nodded, then ran off to find her other classmates and make sure they were alright. Ladybug did something similar, except she ran to the girl’s bathroom first to detransform.

-

When she emerged, she found more students roaming the school halls to go back to their classes. Specifically, a blonde boy dressed in grey determinedly searching the school rooms. It was only when his silvery grey eyes met hers that he faltered.

“Cheng!” Felix called out to her, immediately walking in her direction.

“O-oh, hey Felix!” Marinette smiled.

“Where have you been??” He almost yelled once he caught up to her. “You’re not supposed to run off when there’s an akuma! What were you thinking!?” He continued in a scolding manner, nearly grabbing her by the shoulders to shake some sense into her or something. 

Marinette blinked at him, not used to this kind of behavior from Felix. 

“Ah, sorry. I- uhm, I got stuck in the bathroom.” she chuckled nervously, scratching the back of her head. 

Felix squinted at her, crossing his arms. How do you get _stuck_ in a bathroom?? 

Nevertheless, he blew out a sigh, lightly touching his forehead. 

“Whatever. Just don’t run off again, alright? It’s both dangerous _and_ reckless.” 

Marinette nodded, though she felt guilty knowing she couldn’t keep that promise to him. She was Ladybug, after all. She had her own duty to protect Paris. 

Even so.. Felix’s response to her sudden disappearance was strange. Was he- no. she was probably just imagining it, right? He couldn’t possibly be.. Worried?

“Let’s go. Class is bound to start back up in a few minutes.” Felix suggested, taking Marinette from her thoughts as he turned around to head back to the classroom. She followed behind him, trying not to replay his words too much in her mind.

~~~~~~

“What do you wanna do now, Marinette?” Tikki asked from the safety of Marinette’s purse. 

“Go home. Luka has band practice. Kagami has sword training, and Aurore has to figure out her presentation for the weather cast tomorrow. I think Wayhem is just gonna study at home.” Marinette explained, glancing down at her kwami.

“And Felix?”

Marinette flushed, though she wasn’t entirely sure why. “Well, he’s-”

“Marinette, wait up!” She was interrupted by Adrien, who was running up to catch her. 

Panic flashed across Marinette’s features, but she forced a smile.

“Oh, Adrien..” 

“Hey! I tried to catch you yesterday, but you’ve- uh- you’ve been busy.” Adrien chuckled, scratching the back of his head.

“Have I? I guess I have. There hasn’t really-”

“I wanted to apologize.” 

Marinette stalled. He wanted.. To apologize?

“I should have noticed earlier why you were so upset about Lila.” Adrien continued. “You were hurting over this and I didn’t notice.” he placed a hand on her shoulder with a soft smile. 

Marinette sucked in a breath. Was Adrien really agreeing to finally do something about Lila? 

“So, what are you saying?” She asked anyway, just to make sure.

“I’m saying,” Adrien sighed. “That I’m here for you. We’re in this together. I know it hurts to see Nino and the others get their hopes up like that, but when Lila finally sees what her lies are doing, everything will go back to normal. Until then, you can talk to me about anything when you need to.”

Marinette scoffed. He had single-handedly built up and shattered her hopes in a matter of seconds. 

“Wait, wait, wait.” she interrupted, taking a step back. “So we’re.. _not_ exposing Lila?”

“What? No, I thought we agreed not to?” he furrowed his eyebrows, clearly confused. 

Marinette didn’t know what to say. She had thought.. Well, it didn’t matter what she thought now. It was obvious her and Adrien weren’t going to see eye to eye.

“I’m gonna go home. I have homework. Thanks for the talk, though.” Marinette gave a tight smile. 

She could tell Adrien was hesitant to let her leave, but a honk from Gorilla persuaded him to let it go.

“I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“See you.” 

~~~~~~

Adrien stared idly out the car window as they drove back to the estate. That conversation could have gone better, but at least Marinette knew he understood where she was coming from now, right?

From her reaction, he assumes she still wants to expose Lila. Adrien was sure she would come around though. Just like Lila needed to see that her lies were bad, Marinette needed to see that Lila could be good! It was only normal to get frustrated sometimes. And he knew Marinette well enough to know when she calmed down, she would see reason and agree with him. She might even apologize for her rash behavior.

_As long as we stick together, what could go wrong?_

Adrien smiled at the thought. He had a feeling everything was gonna be just fine.

~~~~~~

Marinette plopped into her rolling chair, spinning into the middle of the room.

“I can’t _believe_ him!” she growled, resisting the urge to pull her hair out.

“At least he apologized?” Tikki pointed out, trying to find the bright side.

“Yes, Tikki. He apologized…. Then he turned around and threw that right in my face!”

Did he even care? Did he even mean the words he said? Or was he just trying to keep her quiet as always?

Tikki went silent, obviously trying to find another good thing about the situation. The fact that she couldn’t only made Marinette angrier.

She was about to go into another rant when a light knock on the trap door interrupted her.

“Marinette? Are you up there?” 

Marinette blinked. “Aurore?” 

She quickly got up and opened the trap door.

“Hey!” Aurore beamed, stepping up into Marinette’s room.

“I thought you were at the weather station.”

“Oh, I was! But I found one of my go-to presentations in my dressing rooms. So I came to see you! I was thinking we could-” Aurore suddenly paused, her bright smile fading into a concerned expression.

“Are you alright?” She then asked.

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know. You seem upset. Did something happen?”

Seeing her genuine concern, Marinette considered telling her. 

It wouldn’t hurt right? I don’t have anyone else to talk to right now.. Marinette pondered, glancing back at one of Adrien’s photos she had on the wall. He didn’t appreciate her venting to the group last time.

“Is it Adrien?” Aurore frowned, noticing Marinette’s gaze.

Marinette pulled a sheepish smile in response. It didn’t count if Aurore was the one who brought it up, right? On that note, why should it matter what Adrien thinks? He hasn’t really cared for what she’s thought recently.

“Yeah.” she finally answered.

Aurore closed the trap door behind her and took Marinette’s hands into hers.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” 

The fact Aurore was even concerned for her well being at all made Marinette feel better. It showed at least someone cared.

“No.” Marinette smiled.

“No?” Aurore furrowed her eyebrows, confused.

“Nope. I don’t wanna talk about Adrien anymore right now.” Marinette decided. She didn’t want to dwell on all of these negative thoughts, lest she be akumatized. 

So what’s the next best thing? Hanging out with your friends of course.

Aurore blinked, taking in her response. “O-Oh. alright, yeah! What do you wanna do?” 

Aurore was hesitant at first, but once she accepted Marinette’s response, she was back to her bright, cheery self.

Marinette hummed in thought, looking up at her window.

It was in the afternoon, but there was still daylight out. They probably had a few hours until sunset.

Marinette smiled. “Do you think the others are free by now?” 


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Lila pushing her to the end of her rope, Marinette leans to Luka for help, who in turn introduces her to quite an interesting group.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so.. I've discovered that you don't actually have to write the chapter numbers for the chapter titles.. so I had to go back and delete those lol I'm learning you guys.

Kagami blew out a sigh, fanning herself as she walked back to the lockers. Sword training had been brutal today, though it was nothing she couldn’t handle. **  
**

Usually, from all of her previous training, sword training is smooth and easy for her. That is, until a certain Agreste matched up with her to be an opponent. She eliminated him during their match, but she over-exerted herself to do so. Therefore, Kagami found herself more exhausted than usual, which was a nuisance.

She changed back into her usual school uniform and picked up her backpack, making her way to the front of the school so she could leave.

When she got to the steps, though, Her phone buzzed in her bag, alerting her of a text.

**~Hey! I don’t know if you’re done with practice yet, but can you come to the park when you get the time?~**

It was from Aurore, asking her to go to the park. 

Kagami thought the message was odd, but her friend was known for being spontaneous. So, she simply dismissed her driver, and started walking to the park instead.

~~~~~~

“Great job, guys! That was awesome!” Luka praised, setting down his guitar. 

“You really think so?” Rose beamed.

“Of course, you guys are practically pros now.” Luka smiled warmly.

Rose squealed with delight at the compliment.

Juleka smiled lovingly towards Rose, pulling her into a small hug.

“Do you think we’re ready for the performance?” Ivan asked.

They were going to perform a small concert in only a few days. 

“Almost. Marinette still has to touch-up our outfits.” Luka informed, gesturing to their “Kitty Section” outfits Marinette had designed for them.

Juleka and Ivan frowned slightly at the thought. Marinette.. Well, she was fine! She had helped them many times before when she didn’t need to. It’s just.. Ever since Lila came she seems to have been getting on the class’ bad side.

Luka, not noticing- or maybe ignoring -the slight change in atmosphere, picked up his guitar again. 

“I say we go through the song one more ti-” He paused mid sentence when his phone’s ringtone went off. Specifically the one for Aurore.

**~Are you done with band practice? If you are, can you come to the park?~**

“What is it?” Juleka asked.

“Oh nothing.” Luka looked up, putting his phone in his pocket and standing up. “I need to go, though. Aurore wants me to come to the park.”

Stopping practice like this might have been sudden, but Aurore didn’t mention why she wanted him to go to the park. That either meant one of two things.

An emergency, or a possible surprise.

“Don’t come home too late.” Juleka cautioned as Luka packed up his guitar.

“No promises.” Luka joked in turn, giving a small salute before jumping off the ship and starting for the park.

~~~~~~

Felix absentmindedly hummed to his mother’s music as he washed the dishes. She always loved to blast her music when they were cleaning. This cleaning session was no different.

He was halfway through the dishes when his phone on the counter buzzed.

Turning off the water, Felix dried his hands and read the message.

**~Hey Felix! Sorry to bother you, but we’re having everyone meet up at the park. Do you wanna come?~**

Marinette was inviting him to go to the park. From her choice of words, he assumed Kagami and the others would be there as well. 

“Mother, do you mind if I do the dishes later?” He called to her from the living room, still holding his phone. He didn’t usually hang out with this many people- or any people, really -but after the Louvre, the group was really starting to grow on him. More specifically, Marinette.

“Why later?” His mother replied, simply out of curiosity.

“Dupain-Cheng texted-” he barely even got out the first two words before his mother gasped.

“Is she asking you on a date?” She asked excitedly, poking her head into the kitchen. 

“Wha-no! She’s asking me to meet her at the park!” Felix sputtered, his cheeks flushing a rose red.

“Sounds like a date to me~!” His mother sang.

“We’re going to be there with _everyone_. It’s _not_ a date, mother.” Felix said agitatedly.

“You have other friends?” His mother then asked, her deep brown eyes sparkling as she became even more excited.

“Can I go, or not?” He replied, becoming a bit impatient.

“Of course! But only if you tell me about it later.” She smiled warmly.

Felix, though a bit annoyed, agreed to his mother’s conditions, and soon he was out the door, curious as to what lay in store for the park.

~~~~~~

Kagami, upon nearing the park, noticed two familiar figures not too far from her.

“Luka?” She called out to the blue haired guitarist.

Luka turned to her with a surprised expression, but smiled. “Kagami! What are you doing here?”

“Aurore wanted me to come to the park.”

“Same here.”

“What do you think she’s up to this time?” Kagami smirked.

“Aren’t you guys the ones who planned this?” Felix cut in, shifting their attention.

“Oh, Felix, did Aurore ask you to come here too?” Luka responded, surprised he would accept Aurore’s invitation.

“No, Dupain-Cheng did.”

“Marinette’s here too?” Kagami asked, though she supposed that made sense.

Felix raised an eyebrow. “Are you two always this disoriented?” 

Before either of them could respond, a voice called out to the three.

“Luka! Kagami! Felix! Over here!” Aurore waved them down with Wayhem and Marinette sitting beside her.

They were sitting on a pink blanket on the grass with a tan basket in the middle and white plates spread across said blanket.

“What’s all this?” Luka inquired once they got over to them, amusement lacing his tone.

“Surprise!” the three said in unison, each sharing a giddy smile.

“We’re having a picnic!” Aurore chirped.

“It was Marinette’s idea!” Wayhem added, causing the ravenette to blush slightly.

Kagami and Luka smiled, sitting down next to Wayhem. It’s been a long time since either of them had a picnic- possibly a first for Kagami. They should have known Marinette would be the one to come up with such wonderful ideas.

Felix gave a small smile as well, mostly because Marinette looked so happy and pleased with herself. 

He sat down between Marinette and Kagami, sliding off his backpack and looking for one of his books to read.

As Marinette began pulling out the foods, though- with Wayhem and Aurore distributing them - he stopped. 

“When did you find the time to make all of this??” He found himself blurting out.

Marinette flushed, a sheepish smile playing on her lips.

“Well, we didn’t actually _make_ all of it. We just found things around the bakery.”

“Lucky for us, Wayhem happened to come in while we were getting the ‘goods’ together and helped us out.” Aurore spoke up, throwing Wayhem an appreciative look. 

“So what _did_ you make?” Kagami asked curiously, eyeing the delectable treats. 

Wayhem jumped in before the girls could answer. “Nothing! Well, Aurore and I didn’t make anything. Marinette was the only one who made something, which was-”

“WHICH WAS probably something _Marinette_ wanted to tell them.” Aurore cut in, gesturing to their lovely friend.

Luka, Kagami, and Felix turned to Marinette with interest, causing the her to look away and tap her fingers together in nervousness.

“What did you make Marinette?” Luka inquired warmly.

Marinette gave an unsure smile, glancing down to fish through the basket. 

“A-Actually, I- uhm- It was more of something for- for Felix.” she stuttered, pulling something out of the basket as she spoke. “I know you don’t really like sweets, so..” 

She held up a plate with plastic covering over it towards Felix. It appeared to be Salted Caramel.

Felix blinked. She had made something for him. Not just for the group in general. For _him_.

Granted, he wasn’t the biggest fans of sweets, but seeing Marinette’s shy yet eager expression persuaded him to give them a try.

Felix took the plate with a short “Thank you”, carefully unwrapping the salted sweet. He popped one of the small pieces of caramel into his mouth, chewing slowly, as if to study the very taste of the food.

Marinette bit her lip in anticipation. “Well?”

Felix paused for a moment, speculating.

He then met her gaze with a smile. “They’re amazing. I can’t thank you enough.”

Marinette flushed all over again, this time a deep red. Felix had complimented her baking _and_ smiled at her? It was too much for poor little Mari to handle. Not to mention, she could’ve sworn his cheeks were a touch pinker than usual. Was he blushing as well?

The very thought nearly cause Marinette to squeal in a mix of embarrassment and joy.

“Wow, Felix smiled. I didn’t know you had it in you.” Luka joked.

“Neither did I.” Kagami mused.

Felix’s smile immediately fell, sending them a small glare. “Don’t be ridiculous. Of course I can smile.” 

“I don’t know, Fe, you _do_ tend to frown a lot.” Wayhem joined in, grinning from ear to ear.

“Oh guys, you know Felix can’t smile that often or he’ll get wrinkles on that model like face of his.” Aurore jokingly scolded, a teasing smile on her lips.

Marinette giggled at the exchange.

Felix, however, was not pleased to be ganged up on. He just rolled his eyes, taking another piece of the salted caramel.

The others might have teased him further, but Kagami changed the subject.

“Oh! I almost forgot to mention that I faced Adrien at sword practice today.”

The group each made a similarly sour expression, aside from Marinette. After Kagami and Marinette’s account of Adrien’s actions- or rather the lack thereof - the group hasn’t been too fond of the model.

“And?” Aurore asked, a frown tugging at the corner of her lips.

Kagami’s smile was just a tad cruel as she announced, “I _demolished_ him.” 

The group let out a few humorous cheers, Felix holding a small, proud smile, and Luka clapping in amusement.

Usually, Marinette wouldn’t encourage the ill intent, but she couldn’t find it in herself to defend Adrien today. Especially not after that “Talk” he gave her.

“Speaking of Agreste.” Aurore piped up, as if reading Marinette thoughts. She then leaned over, giving Marinette a Look and a subtly pressing smile.

Marinette bit her lip, averting her eyes from Aurore and down to her croissant instead.

Felix raised an eyebrow at the reaction. 

“What about Agreste?” Though he was looking at Marinette, the question was directed towards Aurore, since she seemed to be the only one talking.

“Nothing.” Marinette insisted, pressing her lips into a thin line. She had only just started hanging out with her new and wonderful friends. Therefore, ranting to them felt somewhat inappropriate.

“Come on, Marinette. You can tell us anything.” Luka encouraged, nonetheless.

Marinette’s gaze flickered to the rest of the group. They appeared to be just as encouraging as Luka. 

It dawned on Marinette that they actually cared. She wasn’t just someone who’d intruded into their group. They had pulled her in, accepting her completely. Something she couldn’t say she’d had recently.

“He’s just been so infuriating recently.” Marinette relented with a huff. “He came and apologized to me today, saying he knew Lila was hurting me and he was there if I needed anything.” 

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Kagami asked coolly.

“It would be if he hadn’t told me we still weren’t gonna expose Lila right after.” Marinette sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Wayhem face palmed, and Luka sighed. Aurore and Kagami gave a “Seriously?” kind of expression, while Felix just scoffed.

“In other words, you’re going in circles.” Wayhem said irritatedly.

Marinette nodded, frowning herself. 

“Well, it’s his loss.” Felix grit, gaining their attention. 

“If Agreste doesn’t have enough backbone to expose Lila, then he doesn’t deserve to even talk to you, let alone be your friend.” he declared sharply.

Luka and the others, though they found the words harsh, nodded solemnly in agreement. 

Marinette bit her lip as she thought it over. She loved Adrien, but this situation was a little ridiculous. Marinette couldn’t have friends she couldn’t depend on.

“Okay.” She agreed.

“Then it’s decided.” Kagami stated sternly. “Adrien can’t be friends with Mari until he exposes Lila.” 

A silent pact. One that would do whatever was necessary to protect Marinette. If Adrien wouldn’t stand up for the sweet girl, then they would have no trouble doing it for him.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Lila pushing her to the end of her rope, Marinette leans to Luka for help, who in turn introduces her to quite an impressionable group.

“See you later, Mama and Papa!” Marinette waved as she passed her parents in the kitchen. **  
**

“Bye, Sweetie!”

“Have a good day!”

Marinette smiled brightly, stepping outside and preparing herself for another day of school.

“Morning Marinette. You look refreshed.” Luka greeted with a warm smile.

“Hey, Luka! I feel refreshed. Thanks for walking me to school.”

It’d been a few weeks since the group decided to form a “buddy system” for Marinette to make sure Adrien couldn’t ambush her. She’d gotten used to the routine almost immediately. Luka had the first shift. Felix had most of the day since they shared the same classes. Aurore or Kagami would take her home depending on whose schedule matched up with hers.

“It’s no problem. I enjoy talking with you.” Luka waved off the comment, gaining a giggle from Marinette.

“Same here.” 

-

Once the two got to school, they met up with the rest of the group at the front.

“Morning Mari! Hi Luka!” Aurore greeted brightly.

Marinette smiled. “Morning Aurore.”

“Looks like you got a good night’s sleep.” Wayhem noted with a humorous smile.

“For once.” She chuckled, playfully rolling her eyes.

“Glad to know you’re feeling better.” Kagami commented. 

“We should go inside now. Class is about to start.” Felix spoke up in his usual, flat tone.

The group gave a few grumbles and sighs, but they agreed nonetheless. 

“Alright, Felix. I pass the angel onto you. Take good care of her.” Luka joked, patting her shoulder. 

Marinette flushed a delightful pink, even more so when Felix’s lips twitched into a smile as he said, “Don’t worry. I will.”

The friends laughed at the exchange, before heading into the school building. After doing so, they dispersed to their respective classes, Felix and Marinette going to Mlle. Bustier’s class and Luka and the others going to Ms. Mendeleiev’s.

~~~~~

“Morning, Marinette.” Agreste greeted as the two walked through the door. 

Felix sent him a glare, moving between Agreste and Marinette while they passed. The group had agreed they wouldn’t let Agreste even _talk_ to Marinette until he exposed Rossi. That was a promise he was all too happy to keep.

He saw Marinette give him a glance of concern out of the corner of his eye, then down to Agreste’s direction, though she couldn’t really see him since Felix made sure to block her view of the blonde. 

Agreste frowned, watching them take their seats in the back. The idiot probably didn’t have a clue why they’d been ignoring the class for weeks. The rest hadn’t even seemed to pick up on that little fact that they were giving them the silent treatment. 

Cessaire and Lahiffe noticed the short interaction, though.

“Hey, what was that?” Cessaire snapped, turning to the pair.

Marinette tensed when the supposed journalist confronted them, but she remained silent, sitting down and taking out her tablet.

Felix glared down at Cessaire, also not saying anything. She wasn’t worth the effort, in his opinion. Besides, Marinette still had some sort of attachment to them even after everything that’s happened. The last thing he wanted to do was make her more upset.

Cessaire gaped, probably more towards Marinette ignoring her than Felix’s glare. Then she let out a huff and stood.

“What is your guys’ problem today!” She yelled, slamming her hand on the table.

“Alya, come on-” Lahiffe tried to play peacemaker, but Cessaire cut him off.

“NO, Nino! Marinette’s been picking on Lila ever since she got here! Her tactics have become worse and worse and now she won’t even _talk_ to us?! Like it’s somehow _our_ fault?! That’s ridiculous!” She ranted, causing Marinette to flinch slightly.

It seemed Felix was the only one who noticed this, either that or no one else cared. The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth. 

“What makes you think she’s been picking on Rossi?” He cut in sharply, getting Cessaire and some of the other students’ attention.

Felix tried to be good, he really did. However, people’s stupidity can be too much for him sometimes.

“What do you mean? Like, Everything that she’s done in the past two months?” Cessaire retorted as if it was obvious.

 _Two months_. Felix thought, hands clenching into fists. _This has been going on for two months now._

How could they be so blind? Marinette said Cessaire was supposed to be her best friend. So how could she cast Marinette aside so casually?

Marinette never told them how long Rossi had been there. She just said “a while”. He’d been with her for the second month, making sure the situation didn’t escalate any further. In a way, it worked. Rossi didn’t go any farther in her lies than when he got there. Unfortunately, the class was still just as against Marinette as the day he got there. He hated to think of how isolated she must have felt before she found Couffaine and the others.

Why was the class so set on condemning her?

Whatever the reason or excuse, Felix was certain the class didn’t deserve Marinette as much as Marinette didn’t deserve this treatment.

“And what, pray tell, has she done over the last two months?” Felix challenged.

Cessaire gave an incredulous scoff. “What _hasn’t_ she done? First of all, she broke Lila’s phone just a few weeks ago-” 

“Let’s start there.” Felix interrupted. “Do you have any proof?”

Cessaire faltered. Agreste looked up with wide eyes.

“Proof of what?”

“That she broke the phone.”

“Lila’s phone was broken, and she said Marinette broke the phone.” Cessaire furrowed her eyebrows as she spoke.

“In other words, you _don’t_ have any proof.” 

“Wha-”

“Just because someone _said_ something happened, doesn’t mean it _did_ happen. If you’re willing to believe such outlandish claims because a single girl said it was true, then you’re a worse journalist than I thought.” 

Yes, Marinette had told him much about her classmates, just before getting the same sad expression she had now. It helped to know which buttons to push to get underneath the class’ skin, the same thing they’d done to Marinette for a full two _months_.

As expected, anger flashed across Cessaire’s features. “That is _not_ the same thing-”

“Isn’t it? You’re taking one person’s word over another’s. Have you ever _seen_ Marinette actively try to harm Lila or do anything else to hurt her?” 

Cessaire, though upset, paused to think about it. Felix watched as she searched through her memories, knowing full well she wouldn’t find anything. 

“I-” She stopped, putting a finger to her lips and a hand on her hip as she thought about it. 

“Of course you can’t.” Felix stated flatly. “She never did.” 

He could see the dots connecting in her mind, but before she could fully come to a conclusion, Mlle. Bustier walked into the room.

“Is everything alright?” She asked with a raised eyebrow, seeing Cessaire out of her seat and the rest of the class quietly yet intently watching her.

Felix sighed, simply turning to take out his tablet and his textbook.

Cessaire sat down, muttering an apology and opening her textbook.

With that, the class began.

~~~~~~

Alya tapped her pen against her desk, racking her brain for that evidence Felix mentioned earlier.

There had to be _something_ right? There’s no way Marinette would do all of that stuff with only Lila as a witness. Of course, everyone saw her challenge Lila’s stories, but Lila seemed to be the only one to actually see Marinette attack her.

Or attack anyone for that matter.

Alya shook the thought from her mind. 

Lila wouldn’t lie to everyone. She wasn’t that kind of person. Alya was certain other students had seen something, they just didn’t say anything since Lila was already bringing it up. 

Speaking of which, wasn’t Lila _always_ the one bringing it up?

“Alya, pay attention please.” Mlle. Bustier requested, taking Alya from her thoughts.

“What’s up? You seem distracted.” Lila whispered. She had come in with Mlle. Bustier right after the fight. So it made sense she didn’t know.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Felix just said some weird things.” Alya brushed it off, sparing a glance to the back.

Felix was reading his textbook along with Mlle. Bustier, while Marinette scribbled down notes on her tablet.

Alya furrowed her eyebrows at the sight. Over the past two months Marinette’s gotten progressively more and more like Chloe, specifically towards Lila. Alya tried to help and talk to Marinette about it, but she just got upset and shut her out. Then Felix came along and made it worse.

He was cold, rude, and over all a jerk in general. Why Marinette would even talk to him in the first place was beyond her, let alone befriending him.

However, looking at them now she had to admit, Marinette and Felix looked.. Normal together.

Marinette appeared to be her cheery, sweet, usual self. The person Alya met at the beginning of the school year. 

Felix looked more open and relaxed. His shoulders were sagging slightly in comfort and he was actually leaning more towards Marinette instead of sitting on the edge of the seat on the other side. If Alya hadn’t known better, she would have thought she saw him smile when Mlle. Bustier suddenly called on Marinette, causing the ravenette to stutter out an answer.

“What did he say?” Lila asked, raising an eyebrow as she glanced to the back as well. 

Alya turned back to Lila with an unsure expression. “Well.. he said we have no proof that Marinette’s been picking on you.” 

Lila clicked her tongue, a hint of something flashing across her face.

Agitation? No, that couldn’t be it.

“Of course we have proof, I saw her do all of it.” Lila replied like it was obvious. 

Alya nodded. “Right, right, I know.”

It was foolish, Alya thought, actually taking Felix’s words seriously. He made it quite clear he didn’t like Lila, just like Marinette had. She assumed that was the reason they got along so nicely. Felix just wanted to believe Marinette was right.

Alya smiled.

Lila wouldn’t lie to them.

~~~~~~~

Marinette was torn.

She knew ignoring the class was going to be hard, especially towards Alya and Adrien. She didn’t expect Alya to explode over it, though. Nor did she expect Felix to step up against Lila again.

Don’t get her wrong! She was glad Felix had her back. It just saddened her to see Alya so set in her opinion of Lila.

Marinette could practically _see_ the gears turning in her head when Felix told her they had no proof. Her journalist instincts were kicking in and Marinette held her breath, not daring to interrupt the thought process.

Unfortunately, Mlle. Bustier walked in at that moment, losing any hope Marinette had of getting her friend back.

Although she claimed she was over it, pain was inevitable when your former best friend kept stubbornly choosing their own interests over you.

“Are you coming?” A voice inquired from the doorway of the now empty classroom. 

Marinette looked up at the expectant Felix. They were meeting up at the library today for a small study session. She had almost forgotten due to the mess that morning.

“Ah. yes, sorry.” Marinette apologized, brushing her hair behind her ears and grabbing her backpack.

Felix didn’t respond at first, watching her hop down the steps towards him.

“It’s gonna be alright.” He then said. 

Marinette hummed questioningly, looking up at him.

“I know it’s upsetting, your friends turning on you, but it will pass.” His voice was logical, yet sincere. It was kind.

Marinette gave a small, somewhat sad smile. “I sure hope so.”

Felix nodded, turning to exit the classroom. “Besides, now you have us.”

Marinette’s eyes widened at the statement. He was right. She had new friends now.

Marinette’s smile brightened.

She had _real_ friends now.

~~~~~

Adrien sulked down the school steps. After class, he tried to find Marinette multiple times to hang out with her or just talk, but each time she was swept away by Felix and the others before she could respond. Just like it’d been for the past three weeks. What’s worse is that Marinette seemed completely content the whole day despite this. She didn’t show any trace of remorse towards being taken from her friends.

He could tell Alya was peeved about it as well, and Nino was worried. Why wouldn’t Marinette just talk to them?

Adrien noticed Felix briskly walk past him. Seeing him alone was a rarity now, contrary to their childhood days.

“Felix!” He called out to the blonde.

Felix visibly stiffened, pausing on the last step but not turning around.

“Where’s Marinette? She’s normally with you.” Adrien asked, hoping to catch her before she left somehow.

Felix looked at him then, his gaze less than friendly. “That’s really none of your business, now, is it?” 

Adrien blinked, not sure whether to be shocked or angry.

He chose angry.

“Of course it’s my business! She’s my friend!” He yelled, his grip tightening around the strap of his bag.

Felix scoffed. “Some friend you are. You won’t even stand up for her against a Liar and a cheat.”

Adrien huffed, about ready to tear his hair out in frustration. How many times had they been over this now?

“It would be pointless to tell them! It would only make someone get akumatized!” 

Felix stared silently for a moment, then clicked his tongue. “Let me be _explicitly_ clear.” his glare frosted over. “If you want to be friends with Marinette, you need to expose Lila.” 

Adrien groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Exposing someone doesn’t make them good. Like I said before, it would only make Lila get akumatized and cause more problems.”

“So you would sacrifice Marinette. To appease a bully. You are truly a garbage human being. A coward.”

The words might have stung had they not shocked Adrien so much.

“That isn’t what I-!”

Felix held up a hand, silencing him. “Save it. Her emotional investment on you is wasted.”

His cousin turned around and walked away, not saying another word. Not giving Adrien the chance to.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Lila pushing her to the end of her rope, Marinette leans to Luka for help, who in turn introduces her to quite an impressionable group.

“Marinette, I _love_ these dresses!” Aurore sang, twirling around in a sleeveless purple dress, which stopped short just above her knees. **  
**

“The casual outfits are quite nice as well.” Kagami complimented, studying her black, ripped jeans and rose red top, matching her black boots.

Marinette blushed slightly at the praise, though it was hardly noticeable since she was still fiddling with another outfit on one of the manikins. 

“Thank you so much! I figured you guys would like those.” 

“I still can’t believe you made these.” Wayhem commented, picking at the collar of his bright green, short sleeved shirt. 

“Do the jeans fit okay?” She asked, turning to get a good look at the three. 

Wayhem grinned. “They’re perfect.” 

Marinette smiled brightly, nodding with satisfaction as she focused on the manikin again.

“It’s a shame Felix couldn’t come to your house with us. He’s missing out on some great fashion.” Aurore giggled, sitting down on the chaise and smoothing out her dress.

“Actually, I already gave him an outfit. He’s gonna meet us at the concert.”

Aurore sat up. “Really?” 

“Yep!”

During lunch period that morning, Luka invited them to go to Kitty Section’s concert. They were holding it in the square this time, and the crowd was hopefully going to be big. Aurore and Wayhem were more than happy to go, since they always loved Kitty Section’s concerts, and Kagami promised to work something out in her schedule. Felix was reluctant at first- concerts were always so loud and pushy -but when Marinette excitedly agreed to go, he gave in.

The group became so hyped for the event that they decided to dress up for it as well. That was when Marinette remembered she had some outfits at home that she’d been working on. So Aurore, Kagami, and Wayhem came to the Bakery to try them on while Luka prepared for the concert. 

“The real question is how you convinced Felix to come to the concert in the first place.” Kagami said, shifting comfortably on the chase next to Aurore.

“What do you mean?” Marinette asked obliviously, pulling one of the pins from between her teeth and sticking it into a skirt.

“Felix hates concerts.” Kagami stated bluntly.

“I can’t imagine Felix liking anything loud or crowded to be honest.” Wayhem joked, slipping his hands into his pockets.

“Pretty much. His exact words were, ‘why listen to music at a loud, people-infested park when I could listen to the same music alone in my quiet bedroom?’” Kagami smile.

Aurore and Wayhem laughed at that, but Marinette furrowed her eyebrows.

“Why do you think _I_ convinced him though? Maybe he decided to just try it out on his own.” 

Wayhem scoffed and lightheartedly replied, “You kidding? He was so going to stay home until you said you were going.” 

“He _did_ suspiciously agree right after you did. Even though he said no the first time around.” Aurore joined in, a coy smile spreading across her lips.

Marinette pursed her lips, turning back to her project to hide her embarrassment. Felix didn’t agree just to be with her, right? 

The image of him walking her to her house around the first time they met flashed through mind.

She shook her head.

He just wanted to go to the concert since everyone else was going. They were all friends, after all. It would be silly to stay home instead of hanging out with all of your friends.

Yes, it had nothing to do with her, and this certainly wasn’t going to be another Adrien situation.

Marinette stilled.

Adrien.

“Marinette, are you alright?” Aurore asked, noticing her pause.

She drew in a breath, steeling herself. “Yeah, yeah I’m fine. I was just thinking about..”

“About Adrien?” Wayhem finished, sitting down on the floor next to Marinette’s rolling chair, across from the girls.

Marinette nodded in confirmation, keeping her eyes on the skirt.

The group quietly waited, their gaze soft, understanding. Marinette would speak if she wanted to do so.

“They haven’t noticed my unofficial absence for weeks.” she finally began, more of thinking aloud. “They didn’t care that I haven’t spoken a word to anyone, that they haven’t talked to me for _weeks_. It wasn’t until I actively ignored Adrien that they got upset.”

Marinette sighed, massaging her temples. “It’s like they don’t even care about me as a person. It’s all about their egos or hurt feelings or something just- just all about _them_.”

The group nodded along, letting her work through her thoughts. Though Marinette appreciated it, it also sort of ached. Because she had never had something like this before. Not with Alya, or Adrien, or anyone else she knew for years in that forsaken classroom. It was always “Marinette, you’re overreacting”, “Marinette you’re being ridiculous”. It could never be, “you have a right to be angry”, or “your feelings are valid whether they completely make sense or not”.

Come to think of it, even despite Lila’s influence, they’d had trouble before. Mostly when Marinette decided to have any sort of feelings besides pure happiness. Of course, Alya and the others weren’t entirely to blame. Adrien was normally the one to scold her on that front. 

She looked back up at the others. They sat there patiently, waiting for her to either finish her concerns or change the subject. It was her choice.

She reveled in that thought. Her choice. It felt as if this entire school year had flown by without giving her a single glance. She’d been forced into more things than she liked to admit. 

Being ladybug, for example. She loved Tikki with all her heart, but Marinette still found herself a tad bitter about how she got the miraculous. Would she have accepted if Master Fu asked her straight up? Probably not, but it still would’ve been nice to get a say in the matter. 

The point is, choices seemed to be new for her. She was sad that it turned out this way, but if it meant she could make choices, that she was finally _free_ in a sense..

“There, done.” Marinette then smiled, leaning back to check her work.

Aurore and Wayhem gasped.

“Oh, Marinette, it’s _beautiful_!”

~~~~~~

Felix grumbled to himself as he got ready for the concert.

Why did her agree to go to this? Concerts were loud and crowded and everything he despised, really. Why couldn’t he just stay home and watch the concert live at the very least? That’d be much more preferable.

He pictured Marinette’s smiling face, her eyes shining with excitement and anticipation. 

“You’re coming too, right Felix?” She had asked.

Seeing that expectant and hopeful look in her eyes… how could he say no?

He remembered her quietly squealing a “yes!” and pumping her fist in the air when he said he would go.

The group was surprised, though none argued. Especially when Marinette started rambling about “New outfits” and “Fitting sessions after school”.

A frown tugged at the corner of Felix’s lips.

They were all at her house now, getting ready for the concert. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t want to be there. Unfortunately, he needed to come home first to inform his mother about the new schedule and do a few things.

As expected, she was more than eager to let him go to the concert.

“When are you going to invite them over?” she asked for what felt like the fifth time that week.

“When I feel the time is right.” Felix said, repeating the same answer he always gave. 

His mother put on a pout, but only huffed and left the room to start supper. 

Felix smiled towards his mother’s antics as he straightened his new tie.

Marinette had shown them lots of sketches for clothing designs, but her actually _making_ the clothes was a completely different story.

And she’d done and amazing job. The clothes she made for them not only fit their personalities well, but also seemed like they could be bought from a store.

Felix noticed a few crooked stitches and some loose buttons, usual mistakes that are perfected over time. Considering she was only fifteen, the handiwork was extremely impressive in his opinion.

The outfit wasn’t all that different from his usual one. He still had his black dress pants and dark grey vest. However, his familiar, lighter grey of a button up, long sleeve shirt was replaced by a black one with the sleeves stitched up to his elbows in a quarter sleeve style. Instead of his black tie, Marinette gave him a striped green and black tie to use. How she got the measurements was beyond him, because the clothes fit perfectly.

“Have fun at the concert sweetie! If you need me or your father to pick you up, just give us a call.” His mother cooed as he opened the front door.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Felix said with a small smile, waving and walking out the door.

-

The walk was longer than what he was used to, but he left earlier than necessary so he took his time. Nevertheless, he still got there about twenty minutes before the concert started. A few people were lingering in the square, either curious about the commotion or waiting for the concert to begin. In the center of the square, right in front of the glass pyramid, Felix spotted Kitty Section preparing themselves for the performance. Luka was tuning his guitar with Juleka, Rose was checking the sound system, and Ivan was testing his drums. 

Felix noted that the others were wearing their normal outfits while Luka was obviously wearing a “Mari original” as they called it. He was wearing a dark-ish blue, checkered button up shirt with black jeans. His shirt was unbuttoned to reveal a navy blue t-shirt underneath. In the middle of the navy blue T-shirt was a white jagged stone, similar to the black one on his white t-shirt he normally wore.

Luka glanced up, smiling when he noticed Felix. 

“Hey! I see you’re wearing your new outfit, too. Mari did a good job, as always.” he commented, setting his guitar to the side and standing up.

Felix nodded with a smile, looking over his clothes once more. He ignored the side glances he received from his classmates. He figured they wouldn’t be pleased of his presence, but he was here for Marinette, not them.

Speaking of which, “Where are the others?” 

“They’ll be coming soon, don’t worry. Marinette wanted to make last minute tweaks on the other’s outfits.” Luka explained, waving off the question. “I didn’t expect you to come. Concerts don’t seem to be your thing.”

“They’re not. I only came because-” Felix cut himself short. Telling Luka his real reason for coming probably wasn’t the best idea.

Unfortunately for Felix, Luka was good at filling in the blanks.

“Because _Marinette_ wanted you to, right?” he finished with a knowing smile. 

Felix gave him a glare in response, not denying or confirming anything.

Thankfully, people were already starting to pile into the square. Therefore, Felix and Luka were quickly surrounded by chattering fans, distracting them from the conversation. 

“I have to go up on stage. Good luck finding Mari in this mess.” Luka chuckled, before disappearing into the crowd as well.

Felix hummed in displeasure, turning on his heel and heading for the back of the crowd. Maybe it would be better to find them if he weren’t so smothered.

“Felix, there you are!” 

He stopped, looking in the direction of the familiar voice he’d come to know quite well.

What he saw brought his thoughts to a screeching halt.

It was definitely Marinette- you could tell from her signature ponytails and unmistakably bright smile -but her clothes almost made her seem like a different person entirely.

She wore a pitch black blouse which was tucked into a bright red skirt covered in black polka dots that hung just above her knees. Her black heels, which were red on the bottom, drew attention to her toned legs. Now that Felix thought about it, Marinette’s arms were pretty toned as well. She was fit in general, to be honest.

A light blush dusted Felix’s cheeks as he pushed the thought out of his mind.

“What do you think?” Marinette beamed, twirling to give him a better look. 

Felix swallowed, briefly at a loss for words. Could you blame him, though?

“Did you make that?” he managed to ask.

“Yeah! It’s not too bad is it?” Marinette said shyly.

Felix shook his head almost vigorously. “No, It- you look-” he paused, taking a second to compose himself. “You look.. Stunning.” 

Now Marinette blushed, a delightful pink that somehow complemented the outfit. 

He pulled a soft smirk, but then it faded as he looked her up and down again and squinted.

Marinette frowned. “What is it?” 

“Do you mind if I try something?”

“Try something?” Marinette repeated, blinking in surprise.

“Yes, with your hair if that’s alright?” He said, reaching up and gently touching one of her pigtails in thought.

“O-Oh, uh- Sure, I g-guess.” Marinette stuttered, her blush deepening.

Without another word, Felix moved around behind her, carefully starting to pull the ribbons out. It might have been his imagination, but Felix thought he felt her shiver when he started combing his fingers through her hair to straighten it out.

“Alright, I’m done.” He stated after a few minutes, stepping around to her side again.

Marinette brought her hands up to her hair, lightly feeling around to figure out what he did. 

“Thank you.”

Felix shrugged. “My uncle _is_ a fashion designer after all.”

Marinette smiled, opening her mouth to respond when someone else called out to Felix.

“Felix! We finally found you! Oh, and you have Marinette that’s even better!” Aurore shouted over the crowds, moving towards them with Wayhem and Kagami in tow.

“Wow, I love your hair.” Wayhem complimented when they caught up to the two.

“Felix did it.” Marinette grinned, absently touching her hair that had fallen around her shoulders.

“Felix did?” Kagami raised an eyebrow, an amused smirk playing at her lips. 

The blonde didn’t respond, keeping an indifferent expression. That might have been more condemning than if he had said anything at all.

“Well, it totally makes the look.” Aurore smiled, pulling a pocket mirror out of her purse and handing it to Marinette.

The hair-do looked much nicer than Marinette expected. Apparently, Felix took out her two pigtails, using the two ribbons to tie her hair into a half up half down style. This caused it to look like she was wearing a big red bow instead of her ordinary ribbons. Having her hair pulled back certainly topped off the outfit as Aurore had said. The red bow brought out the skirt and the hair that fell around her shoulders, along with her bangs, shaped her face nicely. 

“Wow..” Marinette muttered, brushing her bangs somewhat to the side.

“Mhmm~” Aurore hummed with a smile, taking back the pocket mirror. 

“We should get to the front, or somewhere near there. The concert is going to be starting soon.” Felix spoke up.

“Yeah, but there’s so many people..” Kagami said with a frown, standing up on her tiptoes to look over the growing crowd.

“Oh, let’s hold hands so we don’t lose each other!” Wayhem suggested, grabbing Aurore and Kagami’s hands. 

Felix winced, though no one noticed.

Aurore grinned, turning and grabbing Marinette’s hand.

Marinette turned to Felix, holding up her hand.

“So we can stay together.” She smiled.

Felix hesitated. He didn’t like touch. Never enjoyed physical contact with anyone, really. Even his mother, who he loved dearly, was someone he could barely stay around for long due to all the hugs she smothers him with.

There wasn’t a specific reason he hated being touched, he just did. Felix assumed it was mostly from his father, but he couldn’t tell for sure.

That was why he was surprised when he took Marinette’s hand. Because he.. He actually didn’t mind her touch. It wasn’t all that bad. Her hand was warm and her grip gentle, loose enough that he could let go if he wanted, but tight enough that they shouldn’t be separated.

Her grip then tightened suddenly to keep from losing him when they got deeper into the crowd.

For reasons unbeknownst to him, Felix squeezed her hand back. 

He caught a glimpse of Marinette glancing back at him in surprise, before turning her attention back to the crowds.

“Alright, Paris, are you ready!” Luka called over the microphone.

The group stopped. The crowds cheered.

Marinette didn’t let go of Felix’s hand. Whether she was distracted by Luka or just didn’t think about it, Felix found that he was okay with it. 

The music began, causing Felix to look at the stage as well. Half way through, Marinette and the others started dancing. He didn’t join in, but his hand swung around with Marinette’s occasionally. That was when he noticed she was still holding Aurore’s hand as well. In fact, they were all still holding hands. To stay together.

 _That’s right. To stay together, nothing more._ Felix reminded himself, even if he wasn’t sure why he needed to remember that.

-

The concert lasted for about an hour, along with a few added encores.

“And now,” Luka began, wrapping up the show. “I’d like to make a special shoutout to the girl who not only made my outfit for tonight, but also designed Kitty Section’s costumes and album covers from the beginning. Mlle. Marinette Dupain-Cheng!” 

Felix saw Marinette’s eyes widen as the spotlight landed on her.

Luka grinned, walking to the edge of the stage and holding out his hand.

Marinette, still in shock, slipped her hand out of Aurore and Felix’s grasp and took Luka’s hand.

He ignored the sudden coldness he felt from Marinette’s absence as the girl was pulled up on stage.

“This is also a ‘Mari Original’.” Luka announced eagerly, gesturing to Marinette’s outfit.

The ravenette smiled sheepishly, fiddling with her skirt a bit to contain her nerves.

The crowd gave a hearty round of applause. Her friends clapped the loudest, of course, and Wayhem whistled. 

“That’s all I’ve got folks. Thank you and goodnight!”

~~~~~~~

Marinette’s heart pounded against her chest even half an hour later. Luka did love his surprises, she just wished they didn’t involve so many people.

“Where does this go?” Wayhem asked, holding up a box of sound equipment. 

“Over there is fine.” Luka answered, pointing to a few other boxes nearby.

Wayhem nodded, hobbling off in that direction. Marinette giggled at the odd posture.

It was nice though, she thought, being appreciated. Getting the credit she deserved for her work. What did she do to deserve these wonderful people?

“I~ _think_ that’s everything?” Aurore more of asked, looking around the now empty stage.

“Yes, I believe so.” Felix agreed, crossing his arms and searching for any lost or forgotten items as well.

Marinette smiled towards the blonde. He’d been full of surprises that evening. Since the first week she met him, actually. She was also happy to say that the outfit she created looked good on him.

“Thanks for helping out guys.” Luka said appreciatively, setting the last few boxes onto their stacked pile. 

Juleka, Rose, and Ivan mumbled their “thanks” as well- Rose being as cheerful as ever. Marinette and Felix might rival Chloe in low popularity at school at the moment, but they still helped out.

“You don’t have to thank us.” Kagami insisted. Her phone then buzzed in her pocket, and she sighed when she saw the message.

“My driver’s going to be here in a few minutes. Anyone need a ride home?” 

Luka scratched the back of his head. “Actually.. Can you take Juleka and I home? It’d be hard to take all of the boxes home and mom doesn’t have a car..” 

Kagami smiled. “Of course, it’s not a problem.”

The exchange seemed to remind Felix of something, and he turned to her. 

“What about you?” He asked, glancing at her as he took out his phone and pressed on his mother’s contact icon.

“Sorry?” Marinette blinked, looking at Felix and standing up on the stage.

“Do you need a ride home?” he elaborated, waving his phone slightly.

“Oh no! I’m alright, thank you-” 

Marinette then paused, and looked to the streets. It _was_ getting a bit dark. 

“On second thought, that would be nice.” she smiled.

Felix returned the smile, before walking away to call his parents.

-

Marinette yelped as she stumbled down the steps of the stage, right into a firm pair of arms. 

“Are you alright?” Felix asked, concern lacing his tone.

“Ah, y-yes. I’m so sorry..” she sighed, struggling in his arms to stand back up.

Felix lifted her to her feet. “It’s fine. As long as you’re alright.”

Marinette blushed, suddenly noticing how close they were and Felix’s lingering arms around her waist. She lightly touched her right cheek, which she somehow managed to scratch on the way down.

“Honestly, I don’t know what possessed you to where heels. You can barely walk around in your usually flats.” he then added, frowning at the injury. 

Marinette chuckled, shrugging her shoulders. Though his tone was sarcastic, she knew he meant it as more of a joke than anything. It was hard to read Felix when they first met, but after a few weeks of hanging out with the group so much, she managed to figure him out a little.

For one, he wasn’t as stone cold as he appeared to be. Felix might be brutally honest and strongly opinionated, but he _did_ care. She’d seen it over the past few weeks. He just had a hard time expressing his emotions.

Not to mention that ever since he arrived at school, Lila hasn’t bothered Marinette as much- if at all. She couldn’t begin to explain how thankful she was for that. 

“The car’s here. Are you ready to go?” The blonde in question interrupted her thoughts, gesturing to a grey car that had just rolled onto the street. 

Marinette nodded, saying a quick goodbye to the others and following Felix to the vehicle. 

Felix opened the back door for her, which she found sweet. When she got into the car, though, Marinette was a tad surprised to see Felix slide into the seat next to her and close the door.

She looked to the floor to calm herself. Taking deep breaths, smoothing out her skirt, fixing her hair. The car pulled onto the street and started towards the bakery.

“T-thanks for the r-ride.” she finally said, wincing at the stutter.

Why was she nervous? It was just Felix.

 _Just Felix._ Marinette mentally repeated. 

“It’s no trouble.” Felix assured, brushing off the comment. 

“I didn’t know you had a chauffeur.” She commented thoughtfully.

Felix glanced at her from the window. “Well, I would certainly hope so. My family does own and run several banks around the country.”

Marinette’s eyes widened. “Wait, really?”

“You didn’t know?” Felix raised his eyebrows, straightening in his seat.

Marinette shook her head dumbly. Then again, how did she _not_ know Felix’s family ran the banks? She’s known him for weeks hasn’t she?

The boy stared at her for a moment, then simply hummed and turned back to the window. 

Silence filled the car. Marinette found it frustrating. Usually, she could talk about anything or everything with Felix. Now, she was at a loss for words. Why was that?

-

When the car stopped in front of her house, Marinette shuffled out of the vehicle, Felix following behind her.

“Thanks again for the ride home.” she said, throwing him an appreciative smile. 

“Any time.” Felix replied softly. 

A frown suddenly flickered across his face and he lightly touched the side of his lips. “You’re lipstick’s a little messed up.” 

Marinette blushed, bringing her hand up to fix the error. 

_He was looking at my lips?_

The thought nearly gave Marinette a heart attack, and she shoved it to the back of her mind. That didn’t mean anything. Felix was just observant like that.

“No, wait- you missed- here let me do it.” 

Before Marinette could respond, Felix was in front of her again. He tilted her chin upwards, gently grazing his thumb across her lips.

Marinette’s heart skipped a beat at the gesture and her eyes flicked to his.

His eyebrows were knitted together as he focused on fixing her makeup. It was all too obvious that he wasn’t trying anything.

“It’s such a lovely shade of red..” he murmured absently, stroking her lips one last time for perfection.

Oh, if Marinette thought she couldn’t blush any deeper..

The poor girl was about to blabber out some sort of reply when a car horn blared next to them, signaling for Felix to hurry up. The two jumped apart, glancing at the impatient chauffeur. 

“G-Goodnight!” Marinette nearly squeaked, holding back another cringe of embarrassment. 

Felix gave a small smile, though, not seeming to mind. “Yes, goodnight.”

With that, he got back in the car and left. 

Marinette went back inside as well, hand on her lips and thoughts racing about the night she just had and the new feelings she might have just experienced.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Lila pushing her to the end of her rope, Marinette leans to Luka for help, who in turn introduces her to quite an impressionable group.

Felix hit the snooze button of his blaring alarm clock, extremely relieved that it was the weekend. He’d come to love the days he didn’t have to deal with his idiotic classmates. Of course, that also meant he couldn’t see Marinette. Pros and cons, he supposed. **  
**

It didn’t take long to get ready, combing his blonde hair to the side, pulling on his grey shirt and dark grey vest, along with his black tie. He wanted to waste no time on his few days of peace.

Felix grabbed his book bag, filled with a few selections from the school library, and bid his mother a brief fair well as he walked out the door. The park would only be empty for so long on a weekend. 

Despite hanging out with a group of people constantly, Felix still found himself hating human interaction. He’d warmed up to Luka and the others, sure, but if he was being honest, he really only hung out with them because Marinette.. well that was a different matter.

The park was abandoned when he got there, thankfully, though he assumed it would only be a matter of time before others arrived. It was still early. Thus, Felix sat down on the wooden bench shaded by the trees and began reading. The blonde was determined to enjoy his solitude as much as possible.

Unfortunately, he had only gotten through a few pages when a loud crash was heard from across the courtyard. Felix snapped his gaze upwards, dearly hoping it wasn’t what he thought it was.

It was exactly that.

An akuma rampaged through the park, Ladybug and Chat Noir close behind. The akuma’s bright green suit was plain as day. Plants were sprouting around them, lunging towards Ladybug and Chat Noir. The duo appeared to be having difficulties, especially when Ladybug tripped on one of the plants, causing her to almost be swallowed up in vines.

Felix didn’t know what possessed him to spring into action, but he ran towards the three in an attempt to help. They needed a distraction. They needed time to come up with a plan.

“Hey, overgrown fern!” he called out once he was close enough. 

This caused all three heads to whip around in his direction. The akuma was angry, Chat surprised, while Ladybug was just down right horrified. 

Felix paid the heroes no mind as he scooped up a stray rock and chucked it at the akuma, hitting It square in the face.

The akuma cried out in anger and pain, charging towards Felix. 

The blonde took a step back, glancing around for some sort of weapon. Surprisingly, he hadn’t thought the rest of this plan through. 

Suddenly, Chat Noir hit the Akuma from the side and the two tumbled. 

Before Felix knew it, he was in Ladybug’s arms, being whisked across Paris. 

-

They bounded over streets and rooftops until Felix couldn’t see the park anymore. She only stopped when they landed in a secluded, back-way alley.

“What were you _thinking_!” Ladybug nearly yelled. She looked angry, but her bluebell eyes- he swore he _knew_ those eyes -were filled with worry.

“I..” Felix trailed off. He wasn’t entirely sure what he was thinking either.

Ladybug gave an exasperated sigh. She tried to form some sort of response or reprimand, but ended up flailing her arms a bit in frustration. The gesture was familiar to Felix, though he couldn’t quite place where he saw it. 

“Look,” she finally sighed, “I appreciate the help, but it’s too dangerous for a civilian to get involved.”

“But-” 

“ _Please_ , Felix, just stay here.” 

He paused.

Felix. 

She knew his name.

But he’d never given her his name. This was only the second time they met, after all.

 _Was it?_ A voice in the back of his mind asked. Felix shook the thought from his mind. It had to be a coincidence. His family owned a lot of banks, perhaps she knew him from that?

 _Not likely._ The voice spoke up again.

Felix frowned, glancing back up at Ladybug. Her eyebrows were furrowed as she waited for a response. Her raven black hair, which was pulled into pigtails, swayed a bit in the wind. Felix has _seen_ that hair before. 

But _where_! Why can’t he _remember_! It’s as if he had all the pieces to a puzzle, but couldn’t put it together. Almost like something was blocking it somehow.

Then he saw it. The scratch. The one Marinette got last night from the fall, in the exact same place on Ladybug’s cheek.

Everything suddenly clicked into place.

“I need to go. _Stay here_.” Ladybug cautioned after he didn’t respond, turning and readying her yo-yo to swing off.

“…Marinette?” The words tumbled out of Felix’s mouth before he could stop them.

The hero froze.

~~~~~

The last thing Marinette wanted to do on her day off from school was fight an akuma. Sadly, Hawkmoth was nothing if not inconsiderate. Not to mention, creating one so early in the morning. Did this guy _ever_ sleep? 

Things only got worse when a certain blonde intercepted their battle, throwing stones and calling names at the akuma. 

It helped distract the akuma, but that didn’t stop Felix from being in the heat of battle without protection. Once Chat got the akuma on the ground, Ladybug was quick to swing away with her classmate, stashing him in an alley a good few blocks away.

She was tired, scared for his safety, and frustrated because she didn’t have a plan to take down the akuma yet. She gave him a quick scolding and told him to stay put. After that, Ladybug got ready to throw out her yo-yo, thinking that was the end of it.

Until she heard him call out her name. Her _civilian_ name.

Marinette froze in her tracks. Maybe it was because it had never happened before, or maybe because it was the first time Felix had actually called her by her first name. Either way, the pause was too long to ignore. She knew Felix had his answer.

“It _is_ you..” He breathed, confirming her fears.

“I-I have to go!” she blurted out, not daring to turn around. Marinette ignored his protests as she swung away, back towards the akuma.

Her thoughts were racing, her heart pounding. What was she going to do now that he knew? She couldn’t avoid him. They went to school together. Would he confront her about it? What if he told everyone?

The swirling thoughts only made her panic rise. She felt like curling into a ball.

“M’Lady, are you okay? You look shaken.” Chat asked with a frown when Ladybug landed next to him.

Ladybug nodded grimly, not saying a word as she jumped towards the akuma.

-

Once they figured out the akumatized item was in the akuma’s hairpin, it was much easier to defeat. It left a confused girl in its place. When she saw the heroes, she babbled on about her garden being demolished by careless construction workers and gave apologies.

Chat turned to Ladybug with a smile, holding up his fist and saying, “Pound it!”

Ladybug didn’t respond, pressing her lips into a thin line as she looked to the ground. Truthfully, she didn’t even hear him she was so lost in thought. 

“Ladybug?” Chat knitted his eyebrows, tapping her shoulder.

Ladybug startled, looking up at him with wide eyes. 

“Ah, I’m sorry. Pound it.” she apologized, holding up her fist with a wavering smile.

She saw the concern flash across his face as he took her hand into his.

“My lady, if there’s something bothering you-”

“Ladybug!” A voice interrupted. The two looked up to see a familiar, red headed reporter running towards them with phone in hand.

Ladybug mentally groaned. This was not what she needed right now.

Right before the journalists got to them, though, the boy she thought she left blocks away stepped in between them. 

“What do you think you’re doing?” Alya demanded, putting her hands on her hips as she glared at the boy.

“The heroes are about to transform back. They need to get going.” Felix said coolly, returning her glare. As if on queue, Ladybug and Chat Noir’s miraculous gave a warning beeping.

Ladybug touched her earrings, looking to Felix. What was he doing? Did he run all the way back to the park?

“He’s right. We should go.” She agreed, yet she didn’t make any moves to leave.

Felix turned around to look at her then, and her breath caught in her throat. So many emotions were swimming beneath his gaze. She imagined she looked the same. 

They had to have stayed like that for at least two straight minutes, because Chat and Alya glanced at each other awkwardly. Her partner cleared his throat to get their attention.

“Bugaboo? We really should be going.” The black clad heroine insisted, raising an eyebrow at Felix.

She could tell he was jealous, Chat noir. He always got that way anytime she so much as _looked_ at a boy, which, ironically, is what she was doing.

“I.. yeah, okay.” Ladybug muttered, shaking her head and flinging out her yo-yo.

She was out of there in an instant, sparing a last glance at the group. Felix stared after her, an unreadable expression on his face. Alya glared at Felix in annoyance, likely upset for losing her “scoop”. Chat was bounding off in the other direction.

-

“What are you gonna do about Felix?” Tikki asked once Marinette got to a safe place and dropped her transformation. 

Marinette bit her lip, trying to think of a plan. 

Her phone buzzed in her pocket.

**~Can you come over to my house tonight?~**

A text from Felix, to her dismay. 

“Wow, you’ve never been to his house before!” Tikki commented cheerily.

Marinette sighed, giving a short nod. “I only wished it was under better circumstances.”

~~~~~~~~

Felix mentally groaned as he set the table for dinner that night. These certainly weren’t the circumstances he imagined when he had thought about Marinette coming over to his house for the first time. 

He assumed they would share answers from homework, or watch a movie. Maybe even play a game since she liked those so much. He would have never guessed he’d be confronting her about being Ladybug.

Ladybug! Of all people!

Looking at it now, it made perfect sense to Felix. What with Marinette being as sweet and kind hearted as she is. He was just shocked that one of Paris’ heroes had been so close to him.

“Oh, I can’t _wait_ for her to get here!” his Mother squealed, putting a few dishes on the center of the table. Contrary to his own feelings, his mother was ecstatic that Marinette was coming over. Probably because she was blissfully unaware of the previously mentioned circumstances. 

“Calm down, dear, you’re going to scare her away.” Felix’s father chuckled, giving her an affectionate peck on the forehead.

The woman hummed, leaning into his touch. “I don’t think so. From what Felix has told us, Marinette shouldn’t be too deterred by my antics.” 

A twitch of a smile came to Felix’s lips as he met her gaze. “Maybe you should tone it down anyway, just in case.”

His mother scoffed, opening her mouth to reply when they heard the doorbell. Felix bee lined for the door, hoping to spare Marinette from his mother’s overly joyous greetings. Just before he opened the door, however, Felix hesitated. 

This was the moment. He was going to talk to Marinette- to _Ladybug_ , the savior of Paris. What would he say? How would he bring up her alternate identity? Would he even get the chance to?

Felix didn’t know, but he did know this wasn’t something he could just ignore. 

So, against his better judgements, Felix drew in a shaky breath, and opened the door.

~~~~~

Marinette shifted from foot to foot in front of the grey, hotel door that Felix had directed her to over the phone. The hotel they lived in was much more luxurious than she imagined, thought Felix _did_ say that his family owned some banks so..

“Marinette you’re wasting time. Just go inside.” Tikki coaxed, gesturing to the door. 

“I know, I know.” Marinette whined, chewing on her lip as she tried to calm her nerves. This was it. She knew that he knew she was Ladybug. There was no denying it. He invited her over to talk about it, she was sure. What was he going to say? Would he even bring it up?

Marinette gasped. 

What if he told his _parents_?

Her kwami sighed, subtly flying up and using the door-knocker before Marinette could stop her.

“Tikki!” Marinette scolded in a whisper, only to have the kwami giggle at her. 

Footsteps and voices sounded from the other side. Anxiety seep into her chest as the doorknob started to turn.

Then it opened. 

Felix and Marinette’s eyes met and the two paused, that is until an overly giddy woman behind him spoke up. 

“Marinette! It’s wonderful to meet you! I’m Felix’s mother.” She introduced, extending her hand to Marinette.

Marinette smiled, shaking the woman’s hand. “Nice to meet you too, Mrs. Culpa.”

The woman scoffed. 

“Please, call me ‘Bridgette’.” She insisted with a warm smile. 

Marinette nodded, taking in the woman’s appearance. She had raven black hair, like her own, but it went down to her back instead of her shoulders. Her stark white sundress stopped short just below her knees and she wore a black, quarter sleeved jacket over it. Marinette thought it to be very stylish.

“Why don’t you come inside.” Felix suggested, pulling her from her thoughts.

“Ah, thanks.” Marinette responded awkwardly. She quickly stepped inside the apartment complex, Felix closing the door behind her.

If she thought the lobby was luxurious, their house was just plain extravagant. It was a large penthouse, with a kitchen off to the right corner of the room and the living room to the left of the kitchen. Only the kitchen was secluded with walls. The rest of the first floor was completely open. Not to mention the wall on the far side of the front door was solely windows. 

“What do you think?” Bridgette inquired, gesturing vaguely around the penthouse.

“It’s very.. Calming.” Marinette answered truthfully. Despite being used to small, comfy houses, the wide, open walls gave her more space to think, in a way. The cool grays and calming blues they had painted and decorated the house in helped significantly. It just gave an all around peaceful vibe.

“Good,” A man spoke up from the kitchen, bringing in another dish to set on the dining room table. 

“We designed it to feel that way.” He informed, setting the dish down and brushing his hands together. 

His hair was blonde, like Felix’s, but it was longer and tied into a neat braid that just barely fell on his left shoulder. He was wearing a light blue, button up shirt that had the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and the shirt was tucked into his light grey dress pants. She assumed that’s where Felix got his style from.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Felix’s father, Mr. Culpa, but you can call me ‘Francis’.” he said, offering her his hand as well. The man had a stern way of talking, but his sky blue eyes held a warmth that Marinette could connect with.

“Marinette.” She smiled, shaking his hand. 

“Now that the greetings are out of the way,” Felix interrupted, turning to Marinette, “Would you like to have some dinner?”

-

Dinner was.. Interesting, but nevertheless enjoyable. Bridgette chatted on about finally meeting Marinette and Felix’s stories, those he told her and those from the past. Felix was obviously embarrassed by this, interrupting his mother as much as possible. Sometimes he would just cut her off in general. Francis seemed to be the sensible one, quietly sitting next to his wife and nodding along to the conversation.

Finally, Felix set down his silverware and stood up, gaining his parents’ attention. “May we be excused to go work on homework please?” he requested, his gaze flickering to Marinette, then back to his parents.

Marinette sucked in a breath, resisting the urge to cringe out of anxiousness. She knew all too well they weren’t going to be working on homework.

The parents didn’t notice her sudden shift in behavior though, and Bridgette eagerly urged them to hurry up and go work on homework in Felix’s room. By themselves.

It strangely reminded her of Sabine when Adrien came over for that gaming competition. 

Marinette frowned at the thought of Adrien, but she pushed that to the side. They had much more pressing matters to deal with right now.

Felix led her up the curved stairway, towards a bedroom at the end of the hall. As soon as he opened it, she could tell it was Felix’s room. 

Not only was the room as dark as his clothes, everything was completely spotless. Marinette could bet that not even a speck of dust was out of place. Contrary to the rest of the house, Felix only had an average sized room, not too big, not too small. His bed was in the middle of the room with two oak wood bookshelves that went from the floor to the ceiling on both sides. A single bed side table sat to the right of his bed with a small lamp- she assumed he used it for nightly reading. To the left of the doorway, right in front of the first bookshelf, was an oak wood dresser. In the right corner of the room, she noticed a three-cushion couch with an oak wood coffee table in front of it. Across from the bed was a single, grey door, and Marinette figure it was probably his closet. He had to get all of his suits from _somewhere_. 

Over all, his room was.. Picture perfect. She dared to say _too_ perfect. The only thing even remotely out of place was the small pile of neatly folded shirts on his bed. Felix took care of those quickly, though, picking them up and stuffing them into a drawer. Marinette had a hunch he’d be refolding those later.

“Have a seat.” He said impassively, gesturing to the black couch.

Marinette gulped, warily wandering over to the leather furniture and carefully sitting down on the right side. It almost looked as if she were afraid the couch would swallow her whole. 

She glanced up at Felix, who wordlessly sat down on the left side of the couch, only a cushion between them.

The ravenette fiddled with her hands and chewed on her bottom lip in nervousness. She could either get straight to the point, or beat around the bush as much as possible.

“So.. how was your day?” She asked lamely.

Beating around the bush it is.

Felix raised an eyebrow at the comment. “I think you know.”

He was right. Marinette did know how his day had gone. Because hers went exactly the same way, both freaking out about the fact that she was Ladybug and that he knew about it.

The two went silent. Whether they didn’t know what to say or were just reluctant to talk in general, Marinette wasn’t sure.

Finally, Felix spoke. “Has it always been you?”

Marinette pursed her lips, then nodded. 

Felix nodded as well. She could see the questions swirling around in his head as he decided which ones to ask first or not at all. 

“So, you’re-”

“Ladybug.” Marinette whispered in confirmation.

The blonde let out a short gasp of disbelief, shaking his head. “H-how did I not know this before? You don’t even change your _hair_.” He was whispering now too thankfully. It gave Marinette hope that he hadn’t told anyone yet.

“Yeah..” She said sheepishly. How do you explain the magic of a miraculous? “You didn’t.. Tell your parents or anything right?” She asked instead.

Felix did a complete double take at that one. 

“Wha- why would I- _no_. of _course_ not, Marinette.” He assured urgently.

Marinette flushed. There it was again, he said her name. 

“Besides, it’s not my secret to tell.” He added, shifting in his seat.

She blew out a sigh of relief, putting a hand to her chest. Her secret was safe, and she was glad to see Felix didn’t plan on telling anyone. 

“So you’ll ignore what happened today?” She said hopefully. Maybe she could actually rest well tonight.

Unfortunately, Felix’s expression hardened. “No, I can’t do that.”

Marinette frowned. “What? But you just sai-”

“I said I wouldn’t tell anyone.” Felix interrupted. “That doesn’t mean I’m gonna ignore the fact that you’re saving Paris daily.” 

Marinette furrowed her eyebrows. “Then.. what _are_ you going to do?”

Felix drew in a deep breath at the question, straightening his posture with a determined look in his eyes. “I wanna help.” 

Marinette blinked, then blinked again. “You wanna- you wanna _what_?” 

“I refuse to let you go through this alone any longer than you already have.” he elaborated, glancing away from her now.

She might have thought of the gesture as sweet had they been talking about literally anything else.

“I’m not alone.” Marinette pointed out. “Chat Noir’s also there.” 

Felix scoffed. “I’ve seen the news reports, Marinette, He gets taken out of the fight half the time. You’re mostly fighting on your own.”

Marinette went to object, but Felix continued.

“Also, that doesn’t account for things after the fight. It’s my understanding that you can’t talk to anyone about your responsibilities. That much pressure on a teenager with no outlet isn’t _healthy_.”

The ravenette sighed, sticking out her bottom lip slightly in a pout. Times like this made Marinette hate that Felix knew so much. He was too perceptive for his own good.

“I think it’s a great idea for Felix to help!” Tikki suddenly said from her purse.

Marinette let out a panicked squeak, while Felix just stared. 

“That.. That wasn’t you, was it?” He asked, confusion coming onto his features.

Before Marinette could respond, the red kwami flew out of her bag- without permission, mind you -and over to Felix. 

“Nope! It was me!” 

Felix flinched back with a yelp, nearly falling off the couch. Marinette bit back her laughter, settling for a wry smile.

“Felix, meet Tikki. She’s my kwami.” She informed calmly, gesturing to the tiny god.

Felix glanced at Marinette, seeming to relax when he saw how composed she was.

“What’s a.. Kwami?” He asked, unsure if he said it right.

“We Kwamis are the beings that give heroes like Ladybug and Chat Noir their powers.” Tikki gingerly explained. 

Now that the panic had passed, Felix was taken over with curiosity and intrigue. He nodded along thoughtfully, studying the kwami and thinking over the information he’d just been given.

Marinette watched him silently. A part of her was glad he was taking this so well, but somewhere in the back of her mind, she was also frustrated.

 _How_ could he be taking this so well? She expected him to freak out or get angry or _something._

But he wasn’t. Felix looked calm and completely at ease with the situation. The most Marinette had seen him get riled up was when Tikki came out of her purse. Even that didn’t last long, though. After a few seconds he was chatting along with Tikki like she was as common as a house pet.

Finally, Marinette couldn’t take it anymore. 

“How can you be so calm about this?!” She half-yelled in frustration.

It was so sudden and out of the blue that Felix and Tikki both turned to her with shocked expressions.

“I mean, I’m _Ladybug_!” She whisper-yelled the last part. “Doesn’t that- oh, I don’t know -bother you at all?” 

Felix furrowed his eyebrows. “Why would that bother me?” 

“I-” Marinette cut herself off, then let out a sigh and buried her face in her hands. “Nevermind. I’m sorry for yelling..”

She felt so stupid, now. Blurting that out for no reason. Felix was probably thinking the same thing. Shouldn’t she be happy things were going smoothly? Why did she feel so sick to her stomach when he acted like all of this was normal?

Marinette didn’t see the blonde give a wary glance to Tikki, who looked just as concerned.

She didn’t see Felix hesitantly move towards her, nor did she notice his arms reaching out for her. It wasn’t until she was enveloped in his arms that she looked up.

A hug. Felix was giving her a hug.

“Is.. this alright?” He asked, somewhat awkwardly.

Marinette didn’t realize tears had formed in her eyes until one rolled down her cheek. She sniffed and gave a short nod, hiding her face in his shoulder as she clung to his vest. She wasn’t even sure why she was crying, but it felt as if she had been holding it in for a long time. Maybe Felix was right. It wasn’t healthy for her to balance her double life by herself. Yes, she had Tikki and Master Fu, but in all honesty, they only provided so much comfort.

Felix didn’t say anything, instead pulling her closer and letting her cry it out. They stayed like that for a good while, simply taking comfort in each other. 

By the time Marinette started the walk home, She was exhausted, yet relieved. Someone knew her secret, and now she could share about it more. Though it wasn’t likely, Marinette also dared to hope Felix might share some more things with her too.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Lila pushing her to the end of her rope, Marinette leans to Luka for help, who in turn introduces her to quite an impressionable group.

Lila was ticked. All of her attempts to take down the new dynamic duo in school had been futile. She had been so close, too! The class had turned on Marinette, including Adrien. True, the class never directly turned on her, but they all believed Lila _over_ Marinette. That was the same thing in her book, and apparently, it was the same in Marinette’s book as well. **  
**

Lila remembered feeling such triumph when the ravenette ran out of the room in tears, especially when the class only shook their heads and turned back to comfort _her_. But that all changed when Felix joined their school.

Lila scowled at the thought.

_Felix._

Ever since his arrival, not only has he refused to take her side, but has also challenged nearly all of her stories shamelessly. He didn’t care about the opinions of those around him, meaning he couldn’t be swayed by the backlash of going against her. That was a problem.

It didn’t help that he stood resolutely by Marinette’s side. The class’ opinion of Marinette sunk lower after that, which was a good thing, except now Marinette didn’t seem to care. Lila assumed it was because she finally had a real ally. 

Lila wasn’t blind. She knew that Adrien had figured out she was lying. He just wasn’t saying anything. Whether he didn’t want to cause more trouble or was just a coward, Lila didn’t care. It only made her cons easier to come by. 

“Morning, girl!” Alya greeted warmly, bumping her shoulder into Lila’s.

Lila forced a sweet smile. “Hi! How was your weekend?” 

“Annoying.” Alya rolled her eyes, her expression quickly turning sour. “I tried to get another interview with Ladybug yesterday, and guess who comes out of the blue and stops me? Felix!” The journalist huffed and crossed her arms. “Why was he even _there_?”

Lila knew she should be pleased. She hardly needed to do _anything_ to turn the class on Felix. He was cold and blunt, easy to dislike. But how can you feel like you’ve won when the losers aren’t affected?

The answer is you can’t.

“Maybe he wanted to get his own interview?” Lila suggested.

Anger flashed across Alya’s face at the thought, and she smiled. The poor girl was way too predictable.

After a moment, though, Alya furrowed her eyebrows. “That can’t be why, because he didn’t talk to her. He just said her miraculous was gonna time out and she needed to get going.” 

Lila hummed, cocking an eyebrow. That _was_ weird. Even though Ladybug was a superhero, Felix didn’t usually get involved in other people’s business. 

“Maybe he just didn’t want _you_ to get an interview.” Lila then said, hiding a sly smile. 

Alya bristled and clenched her fists, drinking up Lila’s absurd idea. 

“Tch. of course he wouldn’t.” She glared at the floor. 

Conveniently, Felix walked past them just then, not even glancing their way. 

“Oh, there he is now. Why don’t I try to go talk to him?” Lila offered innocently, pushing back her growing irritation with the stubborn boy.

Alya scoffed, crossing her arms. “Don’t even bother. He’s not worth it.” 

“Are you sure? I don’t want there to be any misunderstandings in class.” She batted her eyelashes, giving Felix a sympathetic gaze.

Alya frowned, shaking her head.

“Alright, you can give it a shot if you think it will help, But I’m going to class.” the redhead sighed, walking off in the other direction. Perfect.

After checking for any “witnesses”, Lila slinked over towards Felix.

“Where’s Marinette? You’ve been her shadow for the past few weeks.” Lila taunted, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

Felix didn’t acknowledge her, silently making his way to the library.

Lila glared at the stiff boy, thinking of what to say next.

“I heard you had a run in with Ladybug yesterday.”

Felix paused, brief but still. Lila smirked, pressing on the nerve.

“It makes me wonder what you were doing there, why you were so set on Alya not getting an interview. You didn’t even talk to Ladybug herself so I have to imagine there was some other reason for rejecting Alya’s advances.” Lila pulled a sly smile when Felix glanced in her direction. He was getting nervous. What secret was he hiding with Alya and Ladybug, she wondered.

“I bet you don’t want to see her succeed because she’s Marinette’s best friend, and you’re not, hm? Is the Ice King _jealous_?”

Nothing. Felix became impassive again. If Lila didn’t know any better, she might even say he looked relieved. 

The girl clicked her tongue, trying to figure out which part she needed to backtrack onto. Unfortunately for her, the school bell rang just then, forcing her to go back to class.

 _Fine_. She thought curtly. _Guess I’ll have to settle for plan B_.

~~~~~~~

Marinette practically skipped to class the next morning. It felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She didn’t have to hide being Ladybug anymore! 

Well, she didn’t have to hide being Ladybug from Felix anymore. Marinette would take what she could get, though.

“Glad to see you so happy, Mari.” Luka commented with a warm smile.

“Glad to be happy, Luka.” Marinette grinned in turn.

“May I ask what’s made you so cheerful this morning?” 

Marinette hummed. “Let’s just say, Lady Luck’s finally coming to pay me an overdue visit.”

Luka laughed at the metaphor, seeming satisfied with that answer.

“Think that luck is gonna leak into school?” He said lightheartedly.

“I’m hoping!” Marinette giggled.

She probably should have known better than to hope for the impossible.

-

When Marinette entered the classroom, the screaming was already ringing through the halls outside. The entire class, aside from Felix, was huddled around a crying Lila, some attempting to comfort her while others glared and chewed out Felix. Felix himself was silently sitting in the back with book in hand, effectively ignoring the group as a whole. He only looked up when Lila called out her name.

“Marinette!” The girl blubbered. “Your friend, he- I was trying to ask him how you’d been doing since - since you’ve been so distant lately, but he..he..he said he didn’t want vermin like me near you! Or, or anyone for that matter! He said you were his- that he- that you only needed _him_.” A few more tears slipped down her cheeks, and Marinette vaguely spotted the eye drops Lila shoved into her purse.

“I tried to reason with him, but then he-” Lila choked back a sob. “He _slapped_ me, Marinette!”

The class crowded closer, trying to provide the girl with comforting hugs and sweet words. Lila thanked them with a watery smile, hand pressed to her right cheek where Felix had supposedly slapped her.

“What did I tell you, Mari.” Alya growled, sending death glares to the indifferent blonde as she softly rubbed Lila’s back in support. “He’s nothing but trouble! A cold, heartless, _obsessed_ monster!”

Marinette glanced up at Felix, wanting to know his opinion on this. Lila lies like she breaths, but she also over dramatizes the truth. Therefore, it wasn’t completely out of the question that Felix would call her vermin- or even slap her for that matter.

The blonde, however, simply looked her in the eyes for a moment, then shook his head. That was all Marinette needed to see. She smoothly slipped around her other classmates, heading for the stairs without a word.

“Marinette?” Nino frowned.

“What are you doing?” Alya shouted, even though Marinette was right next to her.

The ravenette coolly turned to face them, Her gaze flicking to Lila and briefly catching the triumphant, yet subtle smirk on the liar’s lips. 

“I’m going to sit with Felix. Class is about to start.” 

The class let out a few incredulous gasps and a few said “are you serious?”. Alya and Nino just stared, not really believing what they were hearing. Adrien cringed behind them all, a silent begging in his eyes for her to stop when she had the chance.

Marinette ignored him.

“How can you _say_ that! Didn’t you hear what Lila just said?!” Alya was furious now, pulling away from Lila to clench her fists at her side.

Marinette raised an eyebrow, before turning her head slightly in Felix’s direction. 

“Felix, what happened?” Her tone was composed, almost distant, and eerily similar to Ladybug’s during an attack.

He hesitated at the sudden command, but quickly explained the situation. “Lila stopped me on the way to the library, asking about why I stopped Alya’s interview yesterday. She said I was jealous of Alya. I just ignored her until the bell rang and she left.” 

The class seemed to falter- just for a moment- looking back to Lila. Felix was brutal and harsh and cold, but he hadn’t told a single lie since he transferred there. He was a hard facts, no-nonsense person. Lying wouldn’t make any sense for Felix.

“So- what - you’re going to believe a _stranger_ over your _friends_!” Alya fumed, discarding his words without a second thought. 

“Isn’t that what _you_ did?” Marinette grumbled under her breath. Unfortunately, Alya heard her anyway.

She let out a laugh of disbelief. “Oh my gosh we are _not_ having this conversation again.” 

“Guys, why don’t we just-” Adrien tried to defuse the situation, but it was as if Alya didn’t even hear him.

“You know what your problem is Marinette? You are so set that Lila is a terrible liar that you _refuse_ to see the torture you’ve put her through these last two months. I’ve tried to help you, we all have, but you’re so dang _stubborn_ and _stuck up_! You say Chloe is ridiculous?” 

Alya ignored the protest on Chloe’s part. 

“Well, guess what? You’re even _worse_ than she is! You’re so selfish and self centered and if I weren’t so angry, I’d be heartbroken that you turned out to be such a cruel, pathetic _bully_.” She snarled, shaking with anger at this point. 

Marinette opened her mouth to snap back, but found she had nothing to say. What was the point of arguing about this? Alya obviously wasn’t listening to reason. And she had the _gall_ to say that _she_ was the one set in her opinions? _As if._

Marinette wasn’t angry- for which she was glad. The last thing they needed was another screaming match. -but she was extremely disappointed. In Alya. In everyone. Especially in Adrien, who claimed to be by her side despite that clearly not being the case. 

So, the ravenette simply sighed and shook her head, before walking up the steps and sitting in the back with Felix. He was the only person in her class that she could depend on at this point.

The class fell silent at the action, probably because they half-expected her to retaliate at this point. She always did. Even _Alya’s_ anger had somewhat faded from the shock. 

Marinette didn’t pay them any attention, though, taking out her tablet and pulling up this morning’s due homework. 

“Alright, everyone, in your seats please!” Ms. Bustier suddenly ordered, causing the class to scatter to their assigned seats. Alya was the last to sit down, still staring at Marinette with a mix of confusion and frustration.

“Are you alright?” Felix whispered after a moment, leaning in so she could hear him but giving her enough space to feel comfortable. 

Marinette sighed. “I’m starting to be.” 

~~~~~~

Alya shifted in her seat to fix a glare on the infamous “Marinette group”. Luka and the others appeared to be comforting Marinette at the cafeteria table. Felix sat next to the ravenette, glowering right back at Alya.

“She’s _such_ manipulator!” Alya huffed, wringing her hands through her hair in frustration. “Look at them! Giving her all of that undeserved sympathy while _Lila’s_ the one that’s been suffering!” she added, gesturing to the brunette who was cheerfully chatting with Mylene and Rose. 

Adrien glanced towards Lila, not mentioning how happy she seemed despite “suffering” all this time. 

“I’ve known her since kindergarten.. How did I not see it?” Nino shook his head.

“M-maybe,” Adrien began cautiously, “Maybe this is all a big misunderstanding? You guys know Mari-”

“We _thought_ we knew Mari.” Alya cut him off, turning her glare to him. 

“You saw what happened today, She’s a menace! Just like your cousin.” She added curtly, looking back to the group. 

Felix wasn’t glaring at her anymore, instead looking at Marinette with concern. She had her face buried in her hands with Luka and Aurore putting supportive hands on her shoulders. 

To be honest, it was odd seeing Felix show emotion for anything, let alone a person. It caused Alya to pause. To really, _really_ study the blonde. 

Of course, she didn’t get to entertain the thought too much because a flick of purple caught her eye. Alya gasped.

It was an akuma, but it wasn’t heading for her, despite her anger. The akuma was flying towards-

“Marinette!” Wayhem gasped, standing up and pointing to the black butterfly. Students around their table began screaming and running for exits, Luka and the others tensed and took a step back, and Marinette..

Marinette just froze. She stared at the akuma in horror, yet acceptance, as if she had been expecting this for a while now.

Just before the akuma could touch Marinette’s earrings, however, Felix stepped protectively in front of her, holding up his book as a shield. To everyone’s mutual terror, the akuma merged with Felix’s book instead, creating a purple, butterfly shaped mask in front of his face. 

Alya didn’t know what happened next, all she remembered was seeing Marinette’s eyes widen and being yanked towards the exit by Nino.

~~~~~~~

Marinette tried not to think about Alya’s acidic outburst or Lila’s malicious smirk, but that was all Felix talked about during their lunch period. He was angry- understandeably so - and when the others heard what happened, they were infuriated as well. She held back the tears as they tried to comfort her. Marinette shouldn’t have needed comfort. None of this should have happened in the first place. Adrien should have stuck up for her. The class shouldn’t have believed Lila over her. After everything she’d done. After everything she’d sacrificed, they-

“Akuma!”

Marinette’s gaze snapped upwards. Sure enough, a black butterfly was heading straight for her. 

She needed to run. Ladybug wasn’t _allowed_ to get akumatized.

Nevertheless, Marinette stayed put, watching the akuma grow closer. Maybe this was how it was supposed to be? She had already been nearly akumatized _three_ different times now. Perhaps Marinette was meant to get akumatized. Maybe she could finally let out some of her anger and frustrations without being judged or at fault. Chat Noir would turn her back to normal, right? Felix knew she was Ladybug so he would be able to help out as well.

Yes, Maybe this was a good thing.

That thought was shattered in an instant, though, when Felix threw himself in front of her. He was protecting her. Again. Only this time as Marinette instead of Ladybug. 

Reality slapped Marinette in the face as Felix became shadowed in a purple glow, and her Ladybug instincts _finally_ kicked in.

She shot to her feet, eyeing the boy warily. “Felix?”

At the name, Felix- or an akumatized version of Felix -looked up. He wore a blood red suit with his black, button up shirt and tie. His blonde- now turned pitch black -hair was slicked to the side, and his silver eyes had turned a dark, inky grey with flecks of bright red. 

“Marinette..” Felix breathed, immediately stepping towards her. 

Marinette took a slight step back, hesitating when Felix lightly cupped her cheeks. 

“Don’t worry. Everything’s gonna be fine now. You won’t have to deal with those idiotic classmates of yours anymore.” His voice was so soft and sweet that Marinette wasn’t entirely sure she was talking to the same, stiff classmate she knew.

“But Felix, I don’t-”

“My name isn’t Felix.” He cut her off sharply, though the gentleness never left his eyes. “It’s Karma, now. I’ll be back. Stay here.”

Before Marinette could say anything else, he was off, running in the direction of her other classmates. She stood there dumbly, bringing her hands up to touch her earrings. Felix never tried to take them. Did that mean he was still somewhat conscious in all of this?

“Marinette, let’s go!” Tikki whispered from Marinette’s purse.

Marinette startled, absently nodding her head and starting for the bathroom.

~~~~~~~

Chat Noir leaped towards the school as fast as he could from the place he transformed.

Why couldn’t Marinette just let Lila be? He warned her that someone would get hurt if she kept prying. This is exactly the reason they needed to let Lila go in the first place!

The cat heroine sighed as he landed in front of the back entrance to the school. Now he was going to have to fight Marinette when she could have avoided being akumatized at all. 

The walls around the door fell to decay and crumbled within seconds, causing Chat Noir to pause and hold his breath. Anticipation clouded the air as footsteps approached him in the wreckage. He tensed, slipping into a fighting stance as he unhooked his staff. 

“Marinette, please, I don’t want to fight you.” He pleaded.

“Well, that’s rather fitting then, isn’t it?” a cold voice responded as a man in a blood red suit stepped out of the smoke. “Because I’m not Marinette.” 

Chat Noir blinked, his stance slacking a bit. “Then who-” 

He was cut off by a sudden paralization that swept over his body, causing his limbs to feel rigid and stiff. 

“Chat Noir,” The akuma began, taking out a black book from his suit coat and opening it, “You constantly push your feelings onto Ladybug despite her protests and leave her to fight for herself. As punishment, you will no longer _have_ any feelings to push onto her.” he informed with an icy glare, slamming the book shut. 

As soon as the akuma did so, a sharp coldness flooded into Chat Noir’s chest. Emptiness, numbness. He thought he would be angry towards the accusation, or scared of what the akuma meant, or even worried for Marinette, but he wasn’t.

He didn’t _feel_ anything. He _couldn’t_ feel anything. The thought would have terrified him had it not been for the circumstances. 

“Felix, you have to stop this!” 

Chat Noir barely registered the red blur landing in front of him. 

Felix? He was the one that was akumatized? What about Marinette?

“I’ve already told you, it’s Karma now.” The akuma said coolly, though certainly not as cold as when he spoke to Chat noir.

Why was that?

“Marinette wouldn’t want this!” Ladybug tried to reason

“No,” Karma agreed, “She wouldn’t. Marinette’s too nice to condemn those who’ve hurt her. She’s too kind to be this cruel. So I will be selfish for her.”

Ladybug looked pained towards the answer, and even Karma seemed a bit upset that they were fighting. Why were the two reluctant? Why hadn’t Karma attacked her with her own karma yet?

Chat had a hunch he would be angry if he could feel anything.

“My Lady, we need to cleanse the akuma.” He stated dryly, taking out his staff and lunging for Karma.

The akuma’s eyes never left Ladybug’s as he disappeared into thin air. 

Chat Noir stumbled, whipping around to try and find where Felix went, but Ladybug was already flinging out of her yoyo.

“What are you doing!” Chat demanded, frowning towards his partner.

Ladybug flinched, looking back at him with worry and exasperation in her gaze. “We have to find him before he hurts anyone!”

Chat Noir faltered at the urgency in her tone. Despite the hollowness aching in his bones, he knew he should be worried as well. So he listened to her as he always did and followed his lady.

~~~~~~~

Kagami wasn’t one to run away from fights. She didn’t mind getting her hands dirty as long as her mother gave her permission. When she saw that butterfly coming for Marinette, though, she genuinely felt fear.

Marinette was kind, gentle, too good for this world. If _she_ was getting akumatized? who knew what kind of nightmare she’d become. 

Of course, Luka and the others didn’t want to leave Mari, either, but they were forced out of the school by the panicked crowds and worried teachers. Soon, they were all running from the building along with Marinette’s classmates, including Lila. 

Kagami knew full well this was Lila’s doing, and she wanted nothing more than to slice her to pieces with her sword. Unfortunately, now was the time for running, not revenge.

Or so she thought.

The group came to a screeching halt when a man in a suit appeared in front of them, black book in hand.

“Who are you?” Alya blurted out.

“Felix..” Kagami whispered, turning to look at Luka.

The blue-haired boy was equally as terrified. Of _course_ Felix would get akumatized. He was infuriated at the class, a _strong_ negative emotion. He was also extremely protective towards Marinette, and he would never have left her alone during the chaos.

But that begged the question, where _was_ Mari?

“Alya Cessaire,” the akuma began, ignoring her question and opening his book, “you turned your back on your friend in need and instead believed a liar’s words over her own.”

 _She’s not a liar! Marinette’s the one who’s lying!_ That’s what Kagami expected Alya to shout, but the journalist, for once, said nothing. 

Then Kagami noticed how stiff the red head was. Not moving, not talking, almost like she was.. Paralyzed.

“Since you refused to see the truth, I, Karma, give you the punishment to not be able to see anything at all.” 

The akuma slammed the book shut, and Alya screamed. 

Nino asked her what was wrong, grabbing her flailing arms. Alya looked up, revealing her brown eyes to be clouded over.

She was blind. Felix- no, the akuma- _blinded_ her. 

“Dude, what did you _do_!” Nino shouted in a fury. He had a right to be upset, Kagami reasoned. It was his girlfriend after all.

Karma calmly turned to Nino, and opened his book, causing the DJ to freeze. “Nino Lahiffe, you were told the truth and didn’t listen. Therefore, your punishment is you will not be able to hear anything.” 

The akuma slammed the book shut again, and Nino looked around.

“Alya?” he asked, slightly too loud. Then he said it again, this time louder. 

Then again. And again, each time increasing his volume.

Deaf.

Kagami stared curiously at the book, starting to understand. It was obviously the akumatized object. Anytime Karma opened it, it paralyzed the victim, most likely portrayed their actions, and, when closed, delivered their punishments.

“Please, there’s no need for this! Can’t we all just be happy?” Lila cried, burying her face in her hands. 

Karma snapped his gaze to the girl, rage exploding across his features. Kagami took an unconscious step back, not expecting him to get so upset. He’d been cool and composed until now.

The akuma flipped open the book with a new found determination, glaring daggers at Lila.

“Lila Rossi,” Acid dripped from his tone, “you’ve spread lies and deceit and filth throughout the world without remorse. As punishment, you will not be able to speak.” 

Karma slammed the book, releasing Lila from paralysis. 

The brunette immediately straightened and let out a whimper, clamping her hands over her mouth. She then doubled over, as if about to throw up, and spit something out. 

Kagami squinted, leaning closer to get a better look. When she realized what it was, her blood ran cold.

It was Lila’s _tongue_.

~~~~~~~

Marinette tried to level her breathing as she ran towards the direction her classmates had gone during the akumatization. She’d convinced Chat that it was smarter to split up, to search for Fe- _Karma_ -since they weren’t sure where he’d go.

She knew, though. She knew he’d attempt to get revenge on Lila and the others. She also knew if she was going to appeal to Felix in any way, she needed to do it as Marinette. Ladybug wouldn’t know what Marinette does, and Felix was thankfully keeping her identity a secret. That meant she had to talk to him in civilian form. It could be dangerous, but after his speech right before he ran off, she was confident he wouldn’t hurt her. 

Well, she was _pretty_ _sure_.

Marinette felt the confidence slip when she saw him facing down the class, specifically Lila. 

She felt a full on _chill_ run down her spine when the brunette spit out her _tongue_ onto the ground. Marinette knew akumas could be a bit aggressive, but this was plain _morbid_. 

“F-felix?” Marinette swallowed, trying to hide the fear in her voice. It wasn’t him- it wasn’t _Felix_. She _knew_ that! 

But it was still a threat. If not Felix, then Karma. 

The akuma glanced up, instantly relaxing at her presence. 

Then he tensed back up. 

“I told you to stay out of this.” he said solemnly.

“And I told _you_ I didn’t want any of this!” Marinette retorted, gesturing vaguely to the other classmates.

Karma sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’m doing this for you, Mari.” 

“No.” She responded sternly. “If you were really doing this for me, you would do what _I_ wished! You’re only doing what _you_ wish!” her gaze then softened, as she took a step forward. 

“M-mari?” Alya gasped, feeling around the air to try to find her. 

Marinette’s stomach sank when she saw Alya’s blindness. How many others was Felix willing to hurt?

“Felix, you have to stop this, _please_.” She begged, taking another step. 

Remorse reflected in Karma’s eyes. “I can’t. Not until they all get what they deserve. Lila, Hawk Moth, everyone who’s treated you unfairly.”

Marinette shook her head. “They will, Felix. I promise they’ll get what they need, just-” she sucked in a breath as she held out her hand. “Just give me the book.”

She saw him hesitate, but he inevitably pulled it out of her reach. “I can’t. You’re always in trouble and hurting because of the jerks in this class. You always try to see the good in others, putting their feelings ahead of your own.” He paused, a thoughtful expression crossing his features. “And I love you for it..” 

The declaration was soft enough that Marinette thought she might have imagined it, but the blush of embarrassment on his face proved otherwise. 

Before Marinette could respond, the akuma abruptly straightened. “That’s why I’ll do it for you.” 

It took a moment for Marinette to realize he was referring to his earlier statement about punishing the class, and her eyes widened. 

“No!” She cried, lunging for the book. 

Karma raised it higher into the air, getting ready to teleport, when a staff knocked the book out of his hand. 

“Not so fast!” Chat Noir shouted, landing a few feet behind them. 

Marinette looked on in relief, but Felix scrambled for the black book that had flown across the street. 

_He can’t teleport without the book_. Marinette noted as she darted after him. That was good. He had a weakness. 

Chat Noir followed the two, using his staff to trip Karma and get closer to the book. Miraculously, Marinette got to the book first, quickly tearing it in half before anything else could interrupt her. 

Karma let out a gasp, his entire form being covered in a purple glow. Then Felix reappeared, a very dazed and confused look coming to his face. 

“Felix!” Marinette sighed in relief, running over to him.

Felix blinked, looking up at her. “Marinette? What- where am I? What happened?” He clutched his head with furrowed eyebrows, clearly trying to remember how he’d gotten so far away from the school.

“It’s okay, Fe. you were akumatized, so you probably don’t remember what happened.” Marinette said softly, kneeling in front of him.

“Akumatized?” Felix frowned. “Where’s the akuma? Shouldn’t you be.. You know.” He gestured vaguely to her figure, silently referring to her Ladybug alter ego.

Marinette pulled a nervous smile. “Ah, well, probably, but you need-”

“It doesn’t matter what I need.” Felix cut her off. “If the akuma is still out there, I can wait.”

Marinette pursed her lips, knowing she couldn’t argue with the statement. Nevertheless, she tried. “But-”

“ _Marinette_.” Felix stressed. 

Marinette huffed, standing up. 

“I’m coming back to check on you.” 

“I’ll be at the school.” Felix replied, standing up as well and brushing himself off.

With a final, weary glance, Marinette ran off to transform and capture the akuma.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Lila pushing her to the end of her rope, Marinette leans to Luka for help, who in turn introduces her to quite an impressionable group.

“Felix, you should’ve seen yourself!” Wayhem exclaimed, practically buzzing with excitement. “You had this weird suit on and your hair was _black_ and, man, your _eyes_ they-”

“They were _intense_!” Aurore jumped in, flailing her arms around. As soon as school was over, the group was insistent upon giving Felix a detailed play-by-play on what he did under Hawkmoth’s control. Strangely enough, they seemed pretty proud of his work. 

“You would’ve loved Lila’s look of horror when she spit out her tongue.” Kagami said calmly, though she held an air of amusement in her tone.

The blond in question nodded along absently, keeping his nose in his book. He didn’t appear to be too interested in learning about his akumatization. 

Marinette bit the inside of her lip, shifting on her bedroom floor. She wanted to ask him if he was alright, but they hadn’t gotten a moment alone since they returned to the school earlier. Not only that, she _really_ needed to go talk to Master Fu about their.. _Situation_. 

“Marinette was awesome, as always, talking you down to let Chat Noir catch up with us.” Wayhem added, straightening with pride as he smiled at her.

Felix’s gaze flicked to Marinette at the comment, and she noticed the grip on his book seemed a little tighter than necessary.

“Speaking of which, how _did_ Felix get akumatized?” Aurore asked thoughtfully. 

Marinette glanced at Felix, trying to gawk a reaction on how she should respond. He didn’t give her any clues.

“He took the butterfly for me.” She finally said. “He used his book as a shield, but then got akumatized himself.”

Wayhem whistled. “And what an akuma it was! If it weren’t for you, Ladybug and Chat Noir might have never caught him.” 

“I know right!” Aurore grinned. “I wonder what would have happened if they didn’t catch him, ya know? Fe as a villain makes a lot of sense, actually.”

A frown tugged at the corner of Marinette’s lips. Felix? As a villain? She didn’t even want to _imagine_ it. 

And from the way he tensed up next to her, she had a hunch he didn’t want to either.

“Felix could never be a villain.” She spoke up on his behalf.

Kagami chuckled. “I don’t know, Marinette. He certainly doesn’t seem like the hero type.”

“And look at today! I heard he even got Chat Noir to lose the ability to _feel_. Do you think Ladybug got hit?” Wayhem said eagerly. No one wanted the heroes to suffer, of course, but now that they knew everything was alright, it was fun to talk about it. 

Aurore groaned. “Ugh, I wish you could remember what you did!”

Felix huffed, and Marinette barely caught the reply, “That makes one of us.” 

Aurore and Wayhem both took a breath to continue their rambles when Luka cleared his throat.

“Hey, guys, it’s getting kinda late. We should probably get going so we can get our homework done.” 

The group glanced out the window, seeing the sun just starting to set over the buildings. 

Marinette smiled. She knew what Luka was doing, and she couldn’t be more grateful. How was he able to read them all so well?

“I think that’s a good idea.” Kagami agreed, catching onto the scheme and standing up.

A few extra looks from the two had Aurore and Wayhem on their feet as well. 

“Oh, right, yeah. We were definitely assigned homework.” Wayhem nodded awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.

“See you guys tomorrow!” Aurore waved, being the first to open the trapdoor and step down the ladder. 

Everyone left single-file through the trapdoor. Until it was Felix’s turn. 

“Uhm..” Marinette started, lightly touching his upper arm to stop him. She’d hoped he would pick up on Luka’s message and stay put. That would have saved some awkwardness. “Why don’t we go up to the balcony? For some fresh air?”

Felix looked down at her hand, contemplating her words.

“Alright.”

-

Marinette leaned on the balcony, feeling the cool metal against her arms. The red sun slowly slipped beneath the buildings, melting into an orange sky. The chatter of their friends grew faint as they traveled to their separate homes. She glanced at Felix, who was leaning on the balcony next to her. He still wouldn’t meet her gaze, choosing to watch the sky instead. 

It wasn’t until they couldn’t hear the others talking anymore that she spoke.

“Are you.. Are you okay?” The question felt ridiculous. Felix obviously wasn’t acting like himself. Though she’d never been akumatized herself, Marinette knew how much it can affect people. 

Felix didn’t respond at first, lowering his eyes to the sidewalk.

“I could have hurt you today.” His voice was so small, so soft, it made Marinette’s heart ache. It made her want to hold him close and tell him everything was fine, just like he did for her two days ago. 

Felix sighed, shaking his head. “I thought I was helping. You.. being who you are..”

Marinette held back a laugh. “Being who she is”? That’s a good way of referring to her alter ego. She’d have to remember that.

“I knew you couldn’t get akumatized, but I didn’t think about what would happen if _I_ got akumatized. All the things I did, all the things I _could’ve_ done. And you were so close to me, I just..” He trailed off, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Who _knows_ what I could’ve done to you.” 

She couldn’t help the blush spreading across her cheeks. Even though Felix knew she was Ladybug, He was still thinking about her safety, her protection. He was upset because he could have hurt her.

 _And I love you for it._ Her blush deepened when she remembered his words from earlier. She’d brushed them off because of the circumstances. People say crazy things all the time under Hawkmoth’s influence. But seeing him now… was it possible he meant it? What if Felix _did_ love her? How would she even feel about that? Did she love him back?

Marinette drew in a breath to calm herself, hesitantly touching his forearm. 

“For the record.. I don’t think you could ever hurt me. Even when you were akumatized, you didn’t touch me. Not as Marinette _or_ Ladybug.” 

She remembered the way he spoke to her, the way he looked at her so tenderly despite being filled with hatred and vengeance. No, Felix would never hurt her, would he? He actually cared for her, however hard that may be to see.

Felix finally met her eyes, and Marinette stared back. She hadn’t noticed the blue specks in his silver eyes until now.

Her heart skipped a beat when he carefully placed his hand on hers.

“Well, at least I had some sense about me during.. _that time_.” He murmured, turning away from her again. It was like he didn’t think he deserved to look at her anymore. 

Marinette glanced down at their hands. The others always joked about it, but she never realized how protective Felix really was of her until now.

 _“I want to help.”_ He had said. He didn’t want her being Ladybug alone. He’d proven how serious he was about keeping that promise today.

“Felix, I want to take you somewhere, but it’s kind of far. How do you feel about heights?”

~~~~~~

Lila still found herself shifting her tongue in her mouth even hours later. Stupid Felix. _Marinette_ was supposed to be the one akumatized! Not _him_! But of course he ended up taking the hit, huh? He just _had_ to be her loyal lap dog till the end, didn’t he? 

“I’m surprised we had to finish our classes today. That akuma was brutal.” She heard Nino sigh as she walked into the Clair De Lune cafe. Adrien, Alya, and Nino were having a study session to finish homework and talk. Naturally, she was invited as well.

“I know right! I couldn’t even get good footage of Felix because of that stunt he pulled.” Alya complained, swiping on her phone. Try as she might, Lila could hear the uneasiness in the reporter’s voice clear as day.

“Oh, that stinks. Maybe I can help you clear the footage later!” Lila joined in, sitting in the empty seat next to Alya. She ignored the way Nino switched looks with Adrien.

“Really? I didn’t know you could edit videos.” Alya said gingerly, also ignoring the boys’ reactions.

Lila scoffed, holding her head high with a smile. “Of course! How _else_ do you think I helped Jagged Stone with his concerts, or got that charity event over the news?” 

“Hey, Al, I thought you said you weren’t inviting Lila.” Nino suddenly whispered, lightly nudging his girlfriend. 

Lila’s smile faltered at that. She almost had to look away to avoid glaring at him. Why was Nino getting skittish all of a sudden? She thought that offer to get him a solo act on TV had pulled him in for sure!

Alya rolled her eyes, setting her phone down on the table. “I already told you. It was a misunderstanding!” 

“Uh, _what_ was a misunderstanding?” Lila asked hesitantly. 

The two turned to her, Nino with a frown and Alya with a sigh.

“Nino thinks your lying.” 

“I didn’t say that!”

“Yes you did!” 

“Lying? _Me_?” Lila gasped, dramatically putting a hand to her mouth and batting her eyes.

“Yeah!” Alya answered before Nino could explain himself. “He says that since Felix said you were ‘spreading lies and filth’ that you’d lied somehow. I told him it was crazy, of course.”

Nino huffed, shifting his cap. “Felix was a truth akuma! Those kinds literally can’t lie!” 

“He was a _punishment_ akuma. He could have easily bent the punishments to fit his own delusions.” Alya shot back, crossing her arms. 

While they were distracted with each other, Lila blinked several times, then widened her eyes as much as possible. She used up all of her eyedrops earlier so this would have to do.

“Guys, please, you don’t have to fight!” She cut in, flailing her arms a bit. 

“It’s..it’s really okay. I understand why you’re upset, Nino. It only makes sense you’d think I’m responsible for the _horrible_ things Felix did. He was akumatized because I outed him as a bully, after all.” Lila lamented, eyes wide and teary as she traced circles on the table with her finger. 

Alya gasped in disbelief, sending a quick glare to Nino before grabbing Lila’s shoulder in comfort. 

“Of course it’s not your fault! Felix is the one to blame here. That man’s a villain whether he’s akumatized or not.” She said bitterly.

Lila nodded, standing up nonetheless. 

“Thank you, Alya. you’re so sweet! I wouldn’t want Nino to be uncomfortable, though..” She smiled sadly, hanging her head a bit and gesturing towards the capped boy.

As expected, Alya immediately turned to Nino, giving him a look. The DJ appeared to be disgruntled by it, but only sunk in his seat and put on his headphones.

“No, it’s not a problem. You can stay.” He grumbled.

Upon hearing the words, Lila immediately straightened and sat back down in her seat. Good. She still had Alya. Adrien didn’t say anything at all during the exchange, meaning she also still had him. Now, about getting Nino back..

~~~~~~

Ladybug held Felix tightly in her arms as she jumped from rooftop to rooftop. She thought he would be nervous when she suggested they travel in this manner, but to her surprise, he seemed completely calm. Actually, she could’ve sworn she saw a faint smile grace his lips when she made a particularly long leap. His arms hung loosely around her neck, unbothered even when she became unbalanced a few times from extra weight. He trusted her.

The thought warmed her heart. _Felix trusted her_. She vowed to show him that his trust wasn’t misplaced.

“Alright, We’re here.” She announced, landing in front of Master Fu’s massage shop. “I’m gonna go detransform real quick. Don’t go anywhere.” 

Felix nodded, tentatively studying the building before them, and Marinette ducked into an alleyway nearby.

-

“What do you think Master Fu’s gonna say when you explain things to him?” Tikki said eagerly, taking a bite of the macaroon Marinette gave her. 

“Hopefully he says ‘Yes’.” Marinette muttered to herself, signaling for Tkkki to hide as she walked out of the alleyway.

“Are you ready to go inside?” She asked Felix, situating her bag on her shoulder.

He nodded, stepping towards the door. “Yes, but why are we here?”

Marinette smiled, a certain eagerness reflecting in her eyes. “You’ll see.”

~~~~~~

Breath in.

Then breath out.

Breath in.

Then breath out.

Inhale.

Exhale. 

Inhale.

Exhale.

Things were getting a little out of hand as of late. They still didn’t have any leads on Hawkmoth. Ladybug seemed to be getting more anxious, and Chat Noir.. he’s a steadily growing problem. Their dynamic as heroes was fine for the time being, but as _civilians_ -

“Master! Ladybug is here!” Wayzz suddenly called out, right before a knock sounded on his door.

“Master? It’s Marinette. I came to talk to you about something.” 

Unsurprising. She wouldn’t come to him if that wasn’t the case. Now, to decide exactly how important that something was. Perhaps she wanted to vent about Lila again, or maybe give some development about Adrien..

“Of course, of course. Come on in. you are always welcome here, Marinette.” He said warmly, standing to open the door for her.

A few whispers came from the other side, and when he pulled the door open, he noticed a blonde-haired boy accompanying her. The blonde looked to be around her age and had a strange resemblance to Plagg’s holder. They were probably related somehow.

Marinette smiled, giving a small bow. “Thank you, Master. Let’s talk in the room, if you don’t mind.”

Fu nodded and stepped to the side so she could pass. “Will your friend be joining us?”

She spare a glance to the boy. “He’ll come in later.” 

-

“Someone found out my identity.” 

Fu tried not to look panicked at the statement. Identity reveals cause a lot of problems, especially when they’re created on accident.

“The boy outside?” He assumed.

She nodded. “But it’s not what you think.” 

A slight sense of relief. Maybe the reveal was on purpose then? Or something else caused him to find out? Either way, it was good to see Marinette so composed. It meant she had control of the situation.

“He wants to help us.” She then added.

..hm..interesting.

“Go on.” Fu prompted, lightly stroking his chin. 

She quickly explained from the beginning, how she met the boy, their growing friendship, the reveal, his akumatization. Everything.

“I know we don’t normally do this,” Marinette said, subtly playing with the carpet on the floor, “but I think Felix has proven himself.”

Fu didn’t respond at first, considering her words.

“Permanent heroes can be risky. Are you _sure_ he’s ready for this responsibility?”

“Absolutely.” Her tone was confident and certain with a clear determination blazing in her eyes.

Fu smiled. “Then I trust your judgement. Please, bring him in.” 

~~~~~~

Felix shifted on the floor in the hall for the fourth time in the last ten minutes. He still had no idea why they were there, or why Marinette decided to become so cryptic all of a sudden. 

Speaking of cryptic, who was the man that she greeted on the door? Why did she call him ‘Master’?

The doorknob turned, and Felix scrambled to his feet. The door swung open, revealing the old man from earlier. Marinette stood behind him, a bright smile on her face.

“Master Fu, this is Felix Culpa.” She introduced.

The man narrowed his eyes, looking Felix up and down. It felt odd being on the other end of a scrutinizing gaze.

He then smiled. “Nice to meet you, Felix.” 

“Likewise.” Felix replied shortly, sparing another questioning glance to Marinette. Her smile didn’t waver.

The man- Master Fu, apparently? -waved his cane towards the room.

“Come in. There is much to talk about.” 

Felix found himself following without much resistance. Something about the man’s demeanor told him there was no need for paranoia. 

“It’s my understanding that you would like to help out.” Master Fu inquired vaguely as they sat down. 

Another quick glance to Marinette. 

“Yes, as much as I can.” 

Master Fu gave a satisfied nod, then gestured to the ravenette next to them. “Ladybug’s made quite a vouch for you.” 

Heat rose to his cheeks. She.. vouched for him?

“And I trust her judgement.” Fu continued. “Now it’s up to you.” 

Felix didn’t miss Marinette’s small gasp when the man took off his turtle shaped bracelet and handed it to him.

“Felix Culpa, will you take the miraculous of protection and accept the responsibility to stay by Ladybug’s side in times of peril?” 

Felix didn’t respond at first, turning it in his hand. It was hard to believe such a mundane object could hold so much power. 

“Yes. I will protect her.” He finally answered, meeting Marinette’s gaze. “With my life.” 

~~~~~~

Marinette practically skipped out onto the sidewalk. That went so much better than she expected!

“So what do we do now?” Felix asked next to her, still studying the miraculous on his wrist.

“Now, we train.” She answered, turning into the alleyway she de-transformed in earlier. “You need to get used to your new powers. So we’re gonna go on a small run through Paris, but be careful. I don’t want anyone finding out there’s a new turtle hero yet.” 

The sun had set while they were inside. Therefore, they could use the night as a cloak for now. She didn’t want Hawkmoth getting wind of another permanent hero.

Felix didn’t bother asking for her reasons. “How do I transform?” 

“Just say, ‘Wayzz, Shell On’!” Wayzz spoke up, flying up to Felix’s side. It had been a special surprise for Marinette when Master Fu gave up his miraculous. She supposed it made sense, though, with Felix being so protective.

Felix said the magic words, and a shimmering, green light washed over him. 

His costume had similarities to Carapace’s. He still had the shell shield on his back, the same goggles, and color scheme, but there were also differences. For example, Felix’s hood was down, resting on his shoulders instead of his head. Dark green patches stretched across his elbows and knees, emphasizing the mini turtle shells strapped wrapped around them. The last difference was the dark green rings around his wrists and ankles. Overall, he looked..

“Impressive. What’s your name?”

Felix hummed, running his hands through his hair, which looked about the same in and out of costume.

“Buclier.” He decided, nodding to himself in silent confirmation. “Yeah, Buclier.” 

Ladybug smirked. “Alright, ‘Buclier’, ready to show me what you’ve got?” 

~~~~~~

Alya blew out a sigh as she opened the cafe door. She couldn’t believe how long it took to finish their homework. It was already night time!

“What did you guys get for number five again?” Nino asked behind her, holding his notebook with a confused expression.

Alya playfully groaned, looking up at the clear, starry sky with a smile. “Nino, for the hundredth time, it’s-”

A shadow passed over head. 

“Did you see that?” 

“See what?” 

Another shadow passed.

“That!” Alya shouted, grabbing Nino’s arm and pointing to the spot she saw them. The first shadow definitely had a bit of red in it. Maybe it was Chat Noir and Ladybug on patrol again!

“Alya, I don’t see-”

Nino was cut off by a yank from Alya, who was dashing in the direction the shadows went. She didn’t see Ladybug during today’s akuma, and Felix got in her way the time before. There was no way she’d pass up another opportunity like this!

They wound through the streets of Paris, Alya fumbling to take out her phone and Nino shuffling behind her.

“I don’t think we should be doing this.” Nino mumbled uneasily.

Alya waved him off. “Why not? Ladybug obviously doesn’t mind. She even- oh look, there they are!” 

She felt Nino bump into her when she suddenly stopped, but Alya was too focused on the pair ahead of her to mind. They stopped on a rooftop together and seemed to be talking. She wished she was close enough to hear them.

Raising her phone, Alya focused the camera on the two. Thanks to the city lights, She was able to see their figures, but nothing more. She started recording anyway, about to begin her usual greeting when something stopped her.

“Wait, who is that?” 

“Who is who?” Nino responded, leaning around her to get a better view.

A third person, one with a tail and a familiar pair of ears. It was Chat Noir, but that didn’t make any sense. If that was Chat Noir, then who’s the other person that Ladybug’s talking too? A new hero? There weren’t any akumas out though..

What was going on?

~~~~~~

Buclier did his best to keep up with Ladybug. Knowing this hero of Paris was also his clumsy classmate helped him not to feel too embarrassed when he slipped on a few rooftops every now and then. It didn’t help the mini heart attacks, though. You’d think the shoes to this suit would have more friction.

“Hey, you’re doing pretty good.” Ladybug complimented, stopping on a random rooftop to catch her breath.

“Well, I’ll certainly need more practice.” Buclier sighed, reaching up to fix his turtle shell. There was nothing wrong with it. He just felt a bit awkward having something on his back. The shield was surprisingly light. 

_For convenience in battle_. He reasoned.

Ladybug shrugged, straightening to look at the night sky. “I think you’ll pick it up easily. You’re already really flexible, for some reason.” 

“My mother didn’t put me through ballet for nothing.”

Ladybug blinked. “Wait, you take ballet?” 

“Since I was six.” Felix confirmed.

“How did I not know about this?” 

He opened his mouth to reply, but a certain alley cat interrupted him.

“Okay! I’m here!” Chat assured, landing between them and holding his staff at the ready. “Where’s the akuma? Or emergency or whatever? Why didn’t you call me, Bugaboo?” 

Something about Chat calling Marinette ‘Bugaboo’ didn’t seem to sit right with Felix, but he ignored it. They were going to be a team now, after all. They needed to learn to work together, for Ladybug’s sake.

“Uh.. because there _isn’t_ an emergency.” Ladybug replied. “Chat, this is Buclier. He’s going to be a permanent hero, now.” 

Chat frowned, confusion spreading across his features as he put his staff away. “Permanent hero? I thought we didn’t do that. And what happened to Carapace?”

Ladybug winced. “There were.. Difficulties.” 

Felix wondered what she meant by that. “Difficulties”. Although he knew her identity, Marinette had yet to reveal the other miraculous secrets to him that she knew. He didn’t mind. She would tell him when she- or he -was ready.

“Anyway, I talked with Master Fu. He agreed that this was a good course of action. If we have another hero behind the scenes, we might be able to defeat the akumas faster and find out where Hawkmoth is hiding.” 

Chat glanced between Buclier and Ladybug, not appearing to be fond with the idea.

“I guess..” He finally relented. “So we keep this a secret then?” 

Ladybug nodded. “Yes, for now.” 

Chat Noir nodded as well, shifting to get a better look at Buclier.

“Well, welcome to the team, but just so you know,” He wrapped his arm around Ladybug’s shoulders, “LB and I are super close. So don’t get too comfortable.” 

Yeah, that _definitely_ didn’t sit right with Felix. 

“Chat!” Ladybug scolded, slipping out of the heroine’s grasp.

“What? It’s true.” Chat Noir defended, crossing his arms like the petulant child Buclier decided he was.

“Thank you for the welcome, but I believe Ladybug was trying to ‘show me the ropes’.” Buclier spoke up, subtly stepping more between Chat and Ladybug like Chat had done moments earlier.

“He’s right!” Ladybug agreed, effectively cutting the cat off. “We should get going. See you later!” 

She threw her yo-yo out and swung away before anyone could object. Felix followed, not acknowledging Chat’s glare as he left. It appeared this team-up was going to be a bit more rocky than he had hoped.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Lila pushing her to the end of her rope, Marinette leans to Luka for help, who in turn introduces her to quite an impressionable group.

Marinette giddily jumped down the steps, into the kitchen. Felix was part of the team now! Well, Chat still seemed iffy, but he would get over it. Eventually. As for Felix himself, he couldn’t be more fit for the role! He was protective and smart and sweet and, well, everything!

“Someone’s in a hurry today.” Sabine teased, watching Marinette hurriedly stuff her books into her bag.

“What can I say? I wanna get an early start today.” She replied, barely finishing her sentence as she rushed out of the room and down to the bakery.

“Woah! Don’t forget your breakfast.” Tom called, dangling the paper bag in the air.

Marinette back-tracked to where her father stood, taking the bag in exchange for a kiss on the cheek.

“Thanks Papa. See you after school!” 

“Bye sweetie, have a good day!” 

-

“How many things did you forget in an effort to come meet me outside on time?” Felix asked as they walked. Normally, Luka would walk her to school, but Marinette figured this would give them a chance to talk more about their new dynamic.

“None.” Marinette replied indignantly. 

“…at least none that I know of.” She then added, fishing through her backpack to double check.

Felix chuckled beside her. “Well, if you need anything, just ask.” 

A blush bloomed across her cheeks. The words were meant to be friendly, but ever since his akumatization she just couldn’t look at him the same way. Anything he said, anything he did for her made her think of his confession. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach anytime he glanced her way, let alone talked to her directly. Was this a good thing? Did she actually have feelings for him, or was it only because of what he said under someone else’s control? 

“R-right! Of course, I - yes, I’ll definitely do that.” She stammered, nervously fiddling with her jacket. Why can’t she just _talk to him_ dang it!

“Anyway! How’s Wayzz doing?” She changed the subject, hoping to cover up her stutters.

“He’s doing good. He really likes the tea that old man gave me.” 

“Master Felix has even found a way to take it with us!” Wayzz spoke up, holding a small, metal capsule used to store medicine.

“Oh, that’s clever!” Marinette complimented. 

Felix shrugged. “It was the only thing I could come up with for now.”

Marinette smirked, shaking her head in her response. He doesn’t give himself enough credit. 

She forced her hands to her sides to avoid messing with her jacket. There was no reason to be anxious around Felix, anyway. 

Unfortunately for her, their hands bumped together when she did so, causing _both_ of them to blush.

“S-sorry!”

“Don’t worry about it.” Felix mumbled, looking down at his shoes.

Marinette screamed internally, glancing at their hands. Her mind wandered to their talk on the balcony yesterday, how he put his hand on top of hers. It felt..nice, his touch. One might say, electrifying. She wondered what would happen if she held his hand now.

Despite herself, Marinette reached out to him. 

Closer. 

Closer.

Their fingers brushed together.

“Mari! Felix! Have you guys seen the news?” Aurore called out to them from the school steps. 

Marinette yanked her hand away.

“N-news?” She asked, attempting to hide how flustered she was.

Thankfully, Aurore was too excited to notice.

“Yeah! About the new hero! It was all over the internet last night!” She informed, showing her phone screen to the two.

Felix and Marinette’s eyes widened as they looked at the picture. Ladybug and Buclier were standing on a rooftop with Chat Noir. The picture was obviously taken at night, so whoever took it must have brightened the image.

“Where did you find this?” Marinette frowned. So much for keeping Buclier a secret.

“On the ladyblog.” Aurora said, her nose scrunching up in annoyance. None of them were fond of Alya anymore, but she was their only source of information for the heroes. 

“How do you know it’s not photoshopped?” Felix questioned as he walked passed the two. 

Aurora furrowed her eyebrows. “Would Alya do that though?”

“We all know she’s hungry for attention from how quickly she joined Rossi’s side. I wouldn’t put it beneath her. You don’t think the figures look a little stiff? Or off color?”

Marinette hid a smile. “Yeah, they _do_ look a tad blurry. There wasn’t even an akuma last night. I thought the extra heroes only came out during fights.“ 

Aurora blinked, looking down at the image again. "I gotta go tell Wayhem." 

The blonde ran off, and Marinette fell back into step with Felix.

"I’m impressed. That was some quick thinking, but it won’t stop everyone else from looking at the picture.”

“Maybe, but once one person starts to doubt, others will as well.” Felix responded, smiling to himself.

Marinette nodded. “True, true- Oh! I almost forgot, are you free for lunch?”

Felix hesitated, but nodded. “I should be. What do you have in mind?" 

"I wanted to go on another run.”

“In the middle of the day?”

Marinette snorted. “ _Please_. Aside from Alya, no one looks to the rooftops unless there’s an akuma.”

Felix considered her statement, and she ignored her racing heart when he smiled and said, “In that case, a run sounds nice.”

~~~~~~~~

Nino massaged his temples as he sat down for class. This whole Lila situation seemed to be getting out of control. She was pretty cool when she first got there, but now It was like she was turning everyone against each other. 

He wasn’t asking much! He just wanted to make sure they weren’t going through all of this conflict for nothing, but Alya acted like Nino committed some sort of murder anytime he suggested investigating. She was so convinced Lila was a perfect angel.

Thing is, chaos doesn’t usually follow a “perfect angel” wherever they go. 

“Wow, Alya, that’s such a good shot!” Lila praised behind him, inspecting his girlfriend’s phone. “Guess I don’t have to tell you about them now.” 

“Tell me about them?” Alya repeated, curiosity lacing her tone.

He didn’t see Lila’s smirk as she flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Of course! As Ladybug’s friend, it’s only natural that I’d know about new heroes. In fact, _I’m_ the one that referred them to her.” 

Nino sighed, pulling his cap further onto his head. This is exactly what he was talking about! Picking out heroes, being Ladybug’s best friend, didn’t that all sound- I don’t know -too good to be true? He wasn’t even taking into account the fact that- should her stories be true -she helped Ladybug replace him. Granted, Nino didn’t _own_ the miraculous, but he still would have liked a reason, or at least a warning, ya know?

“Nino?” Adrien lightly nudged him, eyebrows furrowed with concern.

Nino straightened. “Sorry, what’d ya say?”

“Nothing. You just looked upset. What’s up?”

He felt the tension melt off his shoulders and a smile spread across his lips. Lila might be stringing them along, but at least he knew Adrien had his back.

“Meh, I was just thinking about-” He paused, cautiously glancing back at the two girls before leaning forward and whispering, “Lila.”

“Lila?” Adrien blinked.

“Yes?” Lila perked up, causing Alya to look their way too.

Nino inwardly cringed. “Uh- nothing! We were just talking about how~ how crazy it was that you knew the new hero! Yeah..”

Alya gave him a look, but brushed it off, going back to her phone. Lila, however, just stared at him. If he didn’t know her to be so sweet, Nino might even think she was _glaring_ at him.

He nervously chuckled, giving her a small wave and quickly facing the front. Why did he have the sudden feeling of being black-listed?

~~~~~~

“What do you mean you guys aren’t coming to lunch?” Aurore said with a pout. They always ate together! It was like.. Their _thing_ now!

Marinette smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, Aurore. Papa wants me to try his new desert.”

“And Mother’s been throwing a fit over her wasted lunches.” Felix added behind her.

Aurore groaned, rubbing her hand over her face. That totally fails.

Wayhem, standing next to her, gave her a pat on the shoulder with a comforting smile. 

“Guess it’s just you and me today, Rory.” 

Marinette tilted her head to the side.“Just you two? What about Luka and Kagami?” 

“Kagami had to go eat with her mother too. Something about a business meeting with the Agreste’s?” Aurore answered, though she questioned herself at the end. She briefly glanced towards Wayhem for confirmation. He winced, but nodded. Yeah, it didn’t sound enjoyable to her either. 

“And Luka promised to eat with Juleka today, since they haven’t hung out in a while.” Wayhem then explained. 

“Oh, gotcha.”

A small pause, mostly awkward. Aurore almost wanted to ask if she could go with Marinette to her house, but was that too much? She seemed like she wanted to be alone for some reason. 

“Well, I’d better get going. I told mother I’d walk home which takes a while” Felix spoke up, effectively shutting down any chance she had of asking.

“Yeah! I should be leaving too. See you guys later!” Marinette waved, her and Felix subtly starting down the stairs.

Aurore gave a dejected- and slightly dramatic -sigh. “Alright, see you later.”

“Have fun with your family!” Wayhem grinned. 

Marinette and Felix nodded, exchanging looks before going separate ways. 

“..were they a bit off to you?” She said after a moment.

Wayhem shrugged. “Yeah, but I wouldn’t worry about it. Anyway, I’m starving. Ready for food?” 

Aurore giggled. “When am I ever _not_ ready for food.” 

The two laughed, not noticing the flash of green and red on the rooftops.

~~~~~~

Ladybug grinned from ear to ear as they ran across the rooftops, reveling in the way the wind tugged through her hair. Something about the suit’s super strength propelling you forward made you feel as light as air. Almost like you were flying. A euphoric sense of freedom.

Bouclier let out a shout of joy when he made a particularly large jump. 

Ladybug laughed. “Glad to see you’re enjoying yourself.”

“How can I not?” Bouclier yelled over the rush of the wind. “It’s exhilarating!” 

They continued running through Paris for another twenty minutes, challenging each other to do different types of tricks. Ladybug also gave Buclier a few pointers here and there. Eventually, the duo became tired and stopped on flat rooftop to eat lunch. 

“No wonder I see you around Paris so much.” Felix commented, smiling at the view their rooftop provided. “The view’s amazing from up here.” 

Ladybug chuckled, swinging her legs over the edge. “I know right? I wish I could see it more.” 

A comfortable silence fell between them. 

She savored these moments. Just her and Felix. It gave her a sense of peace she normally couldn’t find on her own. Maybe because she was always up in the air, and he was always down to earth. He grounded her. She lifted him up. 

“Felix..” She began softly, as if talking too loud might break their delicate balance. 

Bouclier hummed, his half-lidded eyes trailing to hers. 

“Do you.. Remember anything? From being akumatized, I mean.” 

A frown tugged at the corner of his lips. “No. nothing.” 

Ladybug dipped her chin slightly in a thoughtful nod. She figured he didn’t. No one ever remembers being akumatized, nor what they do during that time. 

Don’t get her wrong, she was glad he didn’t remember. That sort of thing can be traumatizing, but..

Bouclier knitted his eyebrows. “..Is there something you _want_ me to remember?” 

_And I love you for it._

A blush exploded on Ladbug’s face, almost as red as her suit.

“No! Nope, absolutely not- I mean-” She flailed her hands around, eventually coming down to cover her face. “No.” 

His lack of commentary afterward prompted her to peek through her fingers.

Confusion etched onto Bouclier’s features. He probably didn’t know how to respond. She wouldn’t either. 

_Ugh!_ Why couldn’t she just curl into a ball and die? Death would be much less embarrassing.

“We should probably get back to school.” He finally said, glancing down at his wrist and scrunching up his nose when he remembered he didn’t have a watch while in costume. 

Ladybug snorted at the sight, though she didn’t have any room to talk. “Yeah. That’s a good idea.” 

~~~~~~

Adrien twisted his straw back and forth between his thumb and forefinger, desperately trying to ignore the hole Kagami was burning through his forehead. She hasn’t spoken a word to him since their conversation in the cafeteria over a month ago. Any attempt to speak to her resulted in a steely glare and cold shoulder. What did Marinette _say_ to her for him to deserve such treatment? He only wanted to do what was right!

Speaking of Marinette, what was her deal yesterday anyway? Felix _blinded_ Alya and made Nino _deaf_ \- albeit under akumatization, but still -and what did she do? Ran right over to Felix! She didn’t even check to see if they were okay! She seemed more concerned about _him_ rather than _them_. Why? They’d been friends way longer!

He knew she was frustrated with Lila, and she had reason to be. The brunette was, admittedly, a bit over the top, but she wasn’t _terrible_ like Marinette said. 

On top of that, Nino was coming around! _Without_ them saying anything! Her lies were starting to fall through exactly as he predicted. His plan was the right course of action after all! And once he told Marinette about Nino, she’d apologize. Kagami would stop glaring at him, Lila would thank them for making her a better person, and Marinette would talk to them again. Everything would go back to normal!

Adrien smiled, mentally patting himself on the back as he looked out the window. He preferred the driving cars to Kagami’s scowling face. 

A sour expression morphed onto his features a few seconds later, however, when he spotted them. 

There, a few rooftops away, sat his Lady, laughing and talking with the new hero, whatever-his-name-was. Wasn’t she supposed to be _training_ him? Why were they sitting and talking and _laughing_? He’d never seen her smile like that with _him_. And hanging out in pure daylight? What happened to “keeping things professional”?

“Adrien.” 

The blonde stiffened when his father called his name. “Y-yes?”

“Is there something wrong?” Gabriel asked with a raised eyebrow.

It was then he realized Kagami wasn’t the only one who’d been staring at him, though she was the only one that glared.

He straightened, scratching the back of his head with a sheepish smile. “Wrong? No, of course not. I’m just gonna..” His eyes grazed over the building where Ladybug was, and he saw her blush- it was evident from a mile away -and adorably flail her arms in the air. The same way she always does when she’s flustered. In different circumstances, he’d find it cute. 

“I’ll be right back. Bathroom.” He ground out, standing up and marching off to find a place to transform. No doubt his father would reprimand him for the tone later, but there were more important things right n _ow._

He transformed in an alleyway near the restaurant _,_ already laying out his points and arguments in his head. Oh, she was going to get a _piece of his mind_. 

“Alright, ‘bugaboo’, explain yourself.” He demanded, landing on their rooftop and throwing a harsh glare at..

Nothing.

What?

“Where did they go?” He thought aloud, turning this way and that to find them. No greens, no reds, no pigtails or shield shells, nothing. He’d seen them right? Did they just leave before he could get to them?

He huffed, extending his baton to go back to the restaurant. Father and Mrs. Tsurugi are still waiting for him. 

Guess he’ll just have to work on that confrontation until he sees her again. 

~~~~~~

Lila did her best to hide her frustrations during lunch with Alya. Nino’s doubts hadn’t faded, and she had a hunch that promising him more things wouldn’t be enough this time. So what did he want? Everybody wants _something_. 

“Ugh, this picture is so blurry.” Alya complained, zooming in on her photo of the new hero. “Do you think you could ask Ladybug to take a photo of him for me?” 

Lila forced a sweet smile. “You see, I _would,_ but you know LB. She’s always busy and _strictly_ professional. If I asked for special pictures, she might not let me hang with the heroes anymore.” 

Alya groaned. “I know. You’re so lucky. I wish _I_ could be best friends with Ladybug.” 

Lila resisted the urge to roll her eyes. How could anyone want to be friends with that _insect_?

She glanced around the cafeteria, hoping to find something- _anything_ -to take her mind off of that red spotted pest. 

Her eyes landed on Aurore and Wayhem, oddly sitting by themselves. 

“Al, I’ll see you in class.” Lila said, abruptly cutting off the reporter and standing up. Aurore and Wayhem together? With no Marinette to interfere? Well, she surely couldn’t waste such a unique opportunity. People were only starting to doubt her because of Marinette’s new squad. If she wanted Nino back, maybe stripping that pig-tailed headache of her new friends would squash any extra questions he had of her credibility.

“I’m sorry, but do you mind if I sit here?” She asked politely, holding up her tray for emphasis.

Wayhem and Aurore looked up in surprise, their expressions immediately darkening when they realized who interrupted them. She had to admit, it was.. Unsettling. The pair was usually the epitome of cheeriness.

Wayhem spoke first. “Lila, we’re not saying we don’t like you, but.. We don’t like you.” 

“Hate your guts, actually.” Aurore added impassively. 

Lila shoved down her rising anger towards the comments and gasped, subtly taking a seat with tear-brimmed eyes. “W-what? Why? What did I do?” 

Wayhem scoffed. “That’s not gonna work on us.” 

Lila sniffed, going so far as to pull out a handkerchief. “P-please, I just want to be friends. Is this about Marinette? Is she spreading rumors about me to you guys, too?” 

“Oh, it’s definitely about Marinette.” 

“But _she_ isn’t the one spreading rumors.” Aurore crossed her arms.

“And you think _I_ am? I just wanted to be friends with her and she tried to turn everyone against me for no reason!” 

“Right. Because Marinette’s so unreasonable.” 

Lila bit back a snarky response, opting instead for another approach. 

She sighed dejectedly, drying her fake tears and casting her gaze to the floor. “Okay.. You’re right.” 

She heard the two straighten, and hid a smirk behind her bangs.

“The truth- the _real_ truth -is that I was jealous of Marinette. She was so smart and creative and had so many friends.. I just wanted to be like her, but I got carried away..” 

Their shoulders sagged slightly. They were losing their guard. Wonderful.

Lila lifted her head, making sure her lip quivered as she spoke. “I didn’t mean to make her miserable. I was embarrassed. And scared. Please, help me apologize. Help me show her that I’m a good person.” 

Aurore and Wayhem exchanged looks. Yes! They were getting roped in! Once she had Wayhem and Aurore, she’d get to Luka. Then Kagami. Then Felix! And then Marinette would be powerless again.

“Well.. as long as you’re serious about apologizing..” Wayhem frowned. 

Adrenaline rushed through her veins. Almost there! One more to go!

“Aurore?” She turned to the blonde, carefully hiding her excitement.

Aurore pursed her lips, looking down at her lap. “I.. _guess_ we can help you.” 

Lila almost squealed. “Really?” 

“No.” The two dead-panned, abruptly standing up and taking their trays with them.

She blinked. 

..What..what just happened?

“Wait-” She tried to call out to them again, but Aurore sent her a glare.

“Hurts, doesn’t it? Being lied to, getting your hopes up for false promises?” She said haughtily.

Wayhem briefly turned back to Lila, a very clear warning in his tone as he said, “ _Leave_ our Mari _alone_.” 

The two walked away after that, leaving a confused and furious Lila behind.

~~~~~~

Felix settled in the seat next to Marinette. He pulled out his tablet to get ready for class, even though he wouldn’t be able to pay attention anyway. There were too many things clouding his mind. 

Thing number one, becoming Bouclier. He’d volunteered to help Marinette save Paris, but he had no _idea_ that meant he would get a miraculous. Honestly, Felix couldn’t say he was complaining, though. Wayzz was a delightful companion, and the rush of adrenaline from practically flying over Paris was intoxicating. He couldn’t wait to go out again.

Thinking of his new alter ego brought him to thing number two, Marinette and her question. When she asked if he remembered anything during _that time_ , she almost seemed.. Hopeful. He tried asking her about it, but she got all flustered and anxious. Why? Why did he have this feeling he missed something important that happened?

Felix nearly groaned from all the unanswered questions. At this point, he only hoped his akumatization wasn’t that much of a burden to her. Goodness knows she has enough burdens already. Rossi, Cessaire, Agreste..

He narrowed his eyes as the list grew in his mind. Marinette had burdens. _Too many_ burdens. His golden angel was forced to deal with too many things that simply weren’t her problem. In fact, She shouldn’t have to deal with _anything_. Marinette was too sweet and too caring and too incredibly amazing and.. and..

Wait..

Wasn’t that going a bit far?

“Felix?” Marinette’s hand lightly touched his shoulder, sending him back to the night before. They’d practically held hands, hadn’t they? 

He looked down at her, noticing the slight concern reflecting in her bluer than blue eyes. Why was it so hard to breath all of a sudden?

“Are you okay? You looked pretty lost in thought.” 

Ah. Always so considerate, always able to read him so well. 

He blinked. 

Of course she could read him well. They were friends, after all. That’s why he decided to help her with her Ladybug responsibilities. Not because she was a sun shining through his raging storms. Not because she was also the sparkling moon in his darkest nights. And most certainly not because he’d grown closer to her than any other person he’d ever met. 

Felix shook his head. 

“I’m fine, thank you.” 

What was _wrong_ with him? 

No. no, no, no, absolutely _not_. Marinette was amazing, and he cared for her deeply, which is _exactly_ why he wasn’t going to ponder on those previous thoughts. They had a good friendship going, and he’d be darned if he let a few “flukes” get in the way of that. He would ignore these random thoughts and feelings, and they would leave as quickly as they came. End of story.

“Just checking.” Marinette smiled, her tone light and cheery and adorable as always.

..Okay, maybe this was going to be harder than he thought. 


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Lila pushing her to the end of her rope, Marinette leans to Luka for help, who in turn introduces her to quite an impressionable group.

“Guys, another picture came out!” Aurore exclaimed, clicking something on her phone.

The group leaned towards her to look at her screen. A picture of the akuma battle that took place yesterday popped up, showing Ladybug and Chat Noir being covered in a light green energy shield. 

“And they still don’t know where the shield’s coming from?” Wayhem asked curiously.

Aurore shook her head. “No. Alya’s pointed out that it’s the same power as Carapace, but we haven’t seen any extra heroes.”

Marinette and Felix shared a glance. It’s been a week since Bouclier’s picture flooded through the media. Since then, a few akumas have surfaced, and Buclier’s shield has proven useful. The people of Paris question where these random force fields come from, of course, but as long as the heroes are safe..

“There must be a reason they’re mysteriously keeping him hidden.” Kagami mused, taking a sip of her drink. 

Wayhem furrowed his eyebrows. “Him? How do you know it’s not a girl?” 

The group missed the teasing smirk Marinette threw Felix. 

“It could be. You never know.” Marinette shrugged. 

The blonde narrowed his eyes at her, but a smile ghosted his lips, prompting her grin to widen. They’d certainly grown closer over the week, talking together, fighting together. Marinette couldn’t deny how comforting his presence had become for her. Something about knowing someone had her back in and out of the suit, it was refreshing. 

And maybe more..

“Hey, does anyone know where Luka is? I thought he was meeting us here.” Aurore frowned, sitting up to scan the cafeteria.

Wayhem looked around as well. “I mean, he said he was gonna be here.”

Kagami simply took another bite of her food. “If he said he’ll be here, he’ll be here. We can wait.” 

~~~~~~

Nino blew out a sigh, leaning back in his chair to catch a glimpse of Marinette’s table. Lila was sitting between him and Alya, raving about her latest meeting with Prince Ali and their trip to the zoo. Honestly, he didn’t even listen to her anymore. She was all but background noise now.

He’d decided a few days ago to start investigating himself since Alya wouldn’t help out. What he found- or rather, what he _didn’t_ find -was..concerning. 

He searched everywhere, any website he could think of, but there was no sign of Lila’s “adventures” anywhere. No reports, no articles, no posts or pictures on social media. Nothing. You’d think things as memorable as “Saving _Jagged Stone’s kitten_ ” would be found _somewhere_. On top of that, you’d think _Jagged Stone’s kitten_ would be found somewhere. Nope.

At this point, the only thing Nino is certain about when it comes to her is that her name is Lila.

“Do you guys know where Adrien is?” He suddenly asked, barely realizing he’d completely interrupted Lila.

Alya knitted her eyebrows together in disapproval. “Nino, Lila was talking. Don’t be rude.”

“No, no, it’s alright.” Lila jumped in, a sickly sweet smile on her lips. Wasn’t that smile just a little too sweet to be real?

“It’s only natural for Nino to be worried. I’m sure Adrien will be here soon.” 

Nino smiled tightly, subtly shifting away from her in his seat. His dude better be here soon. They really need to talk about his hunch on Lila’s stories.

_But it wasn’t your hunch first, was it?_

Guilt pricked the back of Nino’s mind, and he glanced back at the bright ravenette just a few tables away. She’d warned them, Marinette, and he didn’t listen. None of them did. Gosh, how was he going to apologize? They just.. _Abandoned_ her! For a _liar!_

 _Calm down_ , another voice soothed. _We still don’t know for sure._

Right.. He supposed there was no _actual_ proof that Lila lied. There just wasn’t proof her stories were true..

Nino clicked his tongue. He needed to talk to Marinette. Together, they could figure out how to expose her and show others the truth. Then, he’d talk to Adrien. They were best friends! No way his dude would pick Lila over him. Once they had Adrien on their side, convincing the rest of the class would be a piece of cake.

Now, to figure out how he’d get passed Mari’s defense squad..

~~~~~~

Adrien peered around the doorframe of the cafeteria, staring at Marinette’s table. She looked happy enough, but he knew she’d be even happier when this whole Lila business was put behind them! Nino’s been glancing at Marinette a lot, which meant he was doubting Lila more. Alya was.. Looking at her too, though it was more of a glare..

But that’s okay! Once Nino comes to their side, Adrien’s certain everyone else will follow, especially Alya.

He saw the group laugh, and Marinette leaned towards Felix, putting her hand on his shoulder from laughing so hard. His cousin smiled down at her and..was that- was he _blushing_?

Adrien scrunched up his nose in annoyance. Since when did Felix let someone touch him? All while smiling, for that matter? 

On the other hand, Marinette _did_ bring out the best in people. She was great. 

But Felix seemed.. closer to her somehow. I mean, they hang out all of the time, but this feels different, and Adrien didn’t like it. She was friends with him first, after all. It’s not fair that Felix would come in and just steal her away.

“Adrien?” 

The blonde jumped, whirling around to see none other than Luka Couffaine.

“What are you doing?” The guitarist asked with what _almost_ looked to be a glare on his face, but that couldn’t be the case, right?

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. “Ah, I was just.. you know.. trying to decide where to sit?”

Ugh, that was such a stupid excuse. You’d think all this time as Chat Noir would give him better experience when it came to those.

Luka nodded thoughtfully, looking over his shoulder to see the perfect view he has on Marinette’s table. 

“Right, right. Looking for a seat, because you’re not spying on anyone or anything.” 

Adrien swallows, but nods along, a nervous smile creeping across his lips. Was it him, or was Luka’s gaze steadily growing..darker..

“Yes, that would definitely be a bad idea,” the noirette continues, “especially if you were spying on someone who had a tight group of friends. Friends who would protect them to no end, or take care of certain people spying on them should they be asked.”

A chill crawled up Adrien’s spine. If he didn’t know Luka to be such a passive person, he might have called that a threat. 

“R-right, yeah. That’d be such a bad idea.” He agreed, stiffly taking a step back.

Luka’s electric blue eyes finally turned back to him, a small smile on his lips. Marinette’s energetic voice was heard in the distant, probably the reason for Luka’s slight shift in mood.

He then pat Adrien on the shoulder, just a bit too hard to be friendly. 

“Good luck finding your seat.” He said with a forced smile, swiftly moving around Adrien to approach Marinette’s table.

Adrien watched him leave, extremely unnerved. If _Luka_ was starting to glare at him, maybe talking to Marinette would be harder than he thought.

~~~~~~

Felix swung his bag over his shoulder, checking his wrist watch for the time. They had half an hour before the meet up at Luka’s. That should give them plenty of time for the walk to the river.

His gaze trailed from the watch to the ravenette in front of him. “Are you ready to go?” 

“Yeah, yeah, just give me a minute.” Marinette responded, biting her lip as she made the finishing touches of her design. 

He leaned over her shoulder, studying the sketch. “It looks good.”

Drawing during class wasn’t a smart idea, but he supposed he could make an exception for her. Besides, her being distracted in class only gave him a reason to see her more so they could study together.

A blush crept up Marinette’s cheeks. “O-Oh, really?”

Felix smiled faintly. “Yes, it’s truly wonderful. You’re very talented.” 

To his delight, her blush deepened and a squeak escaped her lips. He’s trying not to indulge in those pesky thoughts and feelings, but it seems they’re _quite_ persistent. 

Marinette doesn’t help his case either, talking to him more and more since they became partners in protecting Paris, blushing and stuttering and being adorable in general. It was getting to be a real problem, if he was being honest.

A clearing of the throat turned the pair’s attention to the doorway, where an awkward Nino stood. 

“I don’t mean to interrupt, but..” 

Felix stood immediately, sending a cold glare to the DJ.

Nino recoiled, holding his hands up in defense. “W-woah, dude, I just wanna talk!” 

Felix scoffed, opening his mouth to argue when he felt a hand on his shoulder. 

“It’s alright,” Marinette’s gentle smile hushed his oncoming rage, “I’ll talk to him.” 

Nino visibly sagged in relief, briefly lifting his cap to wipe the sweat off his brow. “Thanks, dudette-”

“You get _ten_ minutes.” Felix interrupted, crossing his arms. 

Nino winced at the time limit, but nodded. 

“Alright, so I looked into Lila, like you said, and I’m pretty sure you were right. I can’t find any _proof_ she’s lying, but there isn’t any proof she’s telling the truth, either. Isn’t that the same thing?” 

He’d started pacing the room as he spoke, flailing his hands about as if he’d discovered a groundbreaking theory of science. 

“I tried to tell Alya, but she wouldn’t listen. I knew I had to talk to you, though. I had to-” Nino paused, his gaze flicking to Marinette before sighing “-I have to apologize. For ignoring your warning. She just sounded so _good_ , ya know? All the promises she made, the things she said..”

He shook his head. “Then she started talking about stuff you did, and everything else she said was so nice that we didn’t- that _I_ didn’t question her anymore.”

“Nino-” Marinette tried.

“ _I should have_ , Mari. We’ve known each other for how long? How much have you done for me? And I just threw you aside because some stranger gave false promises.”

Felix raised an eyebrow. Dejected stance, wavering voice, flighty eyes- Nino seems genuine in what he’s said so far. 

“Nino, you didn’t know.” Marinette assured softly.

Nino scoffed, his voice cracking as he says, “But I did! You told me, Mari! I can’t- I don’t-”

He stopped to rub his eyes, then looked up at her.

“Can you ever forgive me?” His voice was barely above a whisper, broken.

Marinette choked out a sob- Felix assumed it was more for Nino than for herself -and she ran into the DJ’s arms.

“Of _course_ I’ll forgive you, Nino.” 

The joy and relief on his face was unmistakable as he tightly hugged her back.

Felix knew this whole “Turning your back on the class” situation had taken its toll on her. So it was good to see them starting to apologize.

He’d still keep an eye on Nino, of course, but for now, it wouldn’t hurt to let her enjoy the moment.

~~~~~~

Marinette was bouncing off the walls as she and Felix neared Luka’s “pirate ship”.

Nino apologized! He finally figured out Lila was lying! Not only that, he was talking about telling the rest of the class! If they were lucky, Nino would have an easier time uncovering the truth than she did. Everything could finally go back to normal!

Well, not _normal_. Marinette knew nothing would be the same after this whole “Lila” incident, but at least there wouldn’t be as much tension anymore. She wouldn’t have to worry about shunning her classmates and being accused of ludicrous crimes every other Thursday!

“Mari! Felix! You guys took _forever!_ ” Aurore waved from the boat.

“Apologies. Lahiffe held us up.” Felix replied, stepping to the side to allow Marinette to walk onto the plank first.

Aurore frowned. “Nino? Was he trying to mess with you guys, too?”

“No, no! Actually, he-” Marinette paused, her grin faltering. “What do you mean ‘too’?”

The blonde ushered them to the front of the boat, where Luka, Kagami, and Wayhem were waiting for them. They looked pretty angry.

“What happened?” Felix was quick to ask, a certain edge to his tone.

Wayhem huffed, while Kagami glared at the floor. 

Luka was the one to answer, agitation clear in his voice as he said, “I saw Adrien spying on you today.” 

Ice settled in her veins, and her eyes widened. “S-Spying? What do you mean?” 

“Isn’t it obvious?” Felix snapped, more upset towards his cousin than her. “It’s no surprise that he’s been following you. Adrien’s nothing if not persistent.”

“Yeah, but _stalking_ her?” Wayhem growled, flailing his arms around. “What the heck!”

“I told him off.” Luka spoke up. “But it’s obvious he’s gonna try again.” 

Marinette sat down on the floor next to Kagami. Adrien’s been following her? I mean, she assumed he’d try talking to her again eventually, but how did she not notice?

Felix sat down next to her, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Then we’ll make sure to keep an eye out. We have the buddy system. If Adrien tries to spy on her again, we’ll go to Damocles.”

The others agreed, but Aurore still let out a groan.

“Why can’t they just leave you alone?” She sighed, plopping down between Kagami and Wayhem. 

“I wish I knew..” Marinette remarked. “But on the bright side-”

“There’s a bright side?”

Marinette giggled and nodded. “Nino apologized to me today!” 

The group perked up.

“Really?”

“What about?”

“Spill!”

Her bright grin return as she shifted to explain the events. “He told me after class that he looked for proof on Lila’s stories and that he couldn’t find any. He said he was sorry for not believing me! I think he’s gonna try to tell the rest of the class about her!”

A hearty round of cheers came from the group. They looked to Felix for confirmation. Not that they didn’t believe Marinette. He was just the more cynical of the two.

The blond shrugged, leaning back on his hands. “The apology sounded genuine. I think we should take the win for now.” 

Lila’s caused a lot of drama since she got here, and even more pain for Marinette. Who were they to rain on her parade? 

Besides, if Nino was actually sincere, maybe this was a sign that things were finally looking up.

~~~~~~

Adrien tapped his fingers along the strap of his bag impatiently. After Luka’s subtle warning yesterday, he decided to use a different approach. He’d gotten to school early and hid behind one of the pillars inside the building. Luka- and occasionally Felix -walks Marinette to school every morning. When they get here, she’s going to have to go to her locker. Since Felix is obsessed with punctuality, he’ll already be in the classroom. Luka, not seeing Adrien because he’ll be hiding, will just tell Marinette to hurry up. She’ll run off, and Luka will go to his own classroom. That’s when he’ll talk to her about Nino. 

The plan was perfect, foolproof. Nothing could go wro-

“Dude, there you are!” 

Adrien flinched, turning to face his best friend with a plastered smile. “Nino, hey. I actually gotta do something right now, could you-”

“Yeah, yeah, totally, but I need to tell you about Lila first.” 

He paused. “Lila? What about her?”

Nino looked around to make sure no one was listening, before leaning closer. 

“She’s totally been lying, man. Mari was right!”

Excitement surged through his chest. Yes! Nino figured it out! That would give Marinette even more reason to come back to them. 

“I know it sounds crazy-” The DJ continued awkwardly.

“No, I believe you. We’re friends, Nino. I trust you on this.” Adrien assured, mostly trying to rush the conversation. People were starting to pile in, and he thought he saw Marinette in the distance.

Nino sighed in relief. “That’s great! I already talked to Marinette. Now, we just have to tell the others! With all three of us against her, they’re bound to listen.” 

His thoughts came to a halt. 

“You already.. Tell the others?” 

Adrien supposed Nino talking to Marinette was fine, but now he was talking about exposing Lila. Just like Marinette. 

“Yeah, they need to know.” Nino said firmly. “Lila’s been dogging Mari real bad, dude. Haven’t you noticed?”

Adrien had the decency to wince. He’d noticed Lila’s.. rougher attempts to silence Marinette, but she only did that because Marinette tried to expose her! Everyone knows a cornered animal will bite at you, and now Nino wanted to fall into that same mess? No, he couldn’t let that happen.

“But-”

“We should tell Nathaniel and Juleka first. They’ll be more open.”

“Wait-”

“Alya’s gonna be harder to convince, so we’ll save her for last.”

“Nino-”

The boy scoffed. “Chloe probably knows already. We’ll have to think of something to give her to help us out.” 

“Nino!”

Nino jumped, looking at Adrien with wide eyes.

He cast his gaze downward, bringing his hand up to rub the back of his neck. “You.. you can’t.”

Nino frowned. “What are you talking about?

Adrien resisted the urge to cringe. He could already tell Nino wouldn’t take this as well as Marinette originally had.

“I-I mean, you can’t expose Lila. It’ll only hurt her.” 

A solid minute of silence passed, aside from the chattering crowds of students. 

Finally, Nino spoke, “What?”

Adrien opened his mouth to respond, but Nino cut him off.

“Are you serious? Hurt _her_? What about Marinette? What about me? And Alya? And all the other people who she’s been lying to?” His voice was steadily growing louder with anger.

“I-I just think exposing her is a bad idea.” Adrien tried to persuade him. “She could get akumatized! If we expose her now, she won’t become a better person.”

Nino’s eyes bulged out of his head. “ _What_?! You’re saying we just- just _let her lie_ to the rest of the class? For the _off chance_ she might stop lying?”

Adrien recoiled slightly. It sounded terrible when he put it that way.

“No! I just don’t think we should expose her. Her lies will crumble on their own. You’re proof of that! You figured out she was lying without us telling you!” 

That was apparently the wrong thing to say, because something seemed to click in Nino’s mind and a scowl formed on his lips.

“Dude! You _knew_ she was lying, didn’t you!” It wasn’t a question.

Adrien stiffened towards the sudden glare, fumbling for some sort of excuse.

“W-well, yeah, but-”

Nino didn’t let him finish, jabbing his finger into Adrien’s chest. “You knew that all those accusations towards Mari were bullcrap and you _let it happen_?”

The blonde frowned, quickly turning defensive. “I didn’t! We agreed not to say anything!” 

Nino scoffed in disbelief, turning away from him and covering his head with his hands. 

“Oh my gosh, you pulled that crap on Mari too? No wonder she hates us!” 

“She doesn’t hate us.” Adrien stated firmly, though the hurt was clear in his tone. How could Nino say that?

Nino huffed, looking back to him with glare and flailing his hands in the air. “Yes she does! She hasn’t talked to any of us in _months!_ ”

Adrien went to reply, but the bell rang. 

“I’m trying to do the right thing, Nino!” He said in a last attempt to have Nino see reason.

The DJ shook his head, a pained expression hidden by the bill of his hat. “Keep telling yourself that.” 

Panic rose in Adrien’s mind as Nino walked away. Why did everyone have to be so difficult? Couldn’t they see that his plan had worked? All they wanted to do was create more conflict than necessary!

Marinette. He need to find Marinette. She would be able to talk some sense into Nino, right after he talked some sense into her.

Adrien dashed for the locker room, desperately hoping to find her inside.

-

Thankfully, something was going right for him today, because she was still rummaging through her locker. 

“Mari, thank goodness.” 

Her entire body froze when she heard his voice.

Adrien continued anyway. “I need your help. Nino’s planning to out Lila as a liar, and he won’t listen to me. We need to convince him not to expose her.” 

Marinette’s eyes snapped to his, something akin to rage swimming beneath her gaze.

“Tell me you’re joking.” Her tone was icy, sharp, eerily similar to Felix’s.

Adrien swallowed, straightening with determination. “I’m not. You and I both know letting Lila’s lies fall apart themselves is the best way to go.”

She’d put him through a lot of trouble from being so stubborn, but now that they were getting results, they could put all of that behind them. Results meant his plan was working. He knew Marinette would be smart enough to see that.

“No.” 

Or not.

“Mari, come on-”

“ _No_!” She snapped, stunning him into silence. “I refuse to help you trap Nino into another one of your shaky promises for ‘the greater good’.”

Adrien blanched. He thought for sure that Marinette wouldn’t be so illogical. 

“What are you talking about? _Trapping_? Mari, I know it’s been a rough road, but I was _right_ , wasn’t I? Nino came and apologized! That’s proof that letting Lila go is the best solution!” 

Marinette flushed, her fists clenching at her sides. “He only apologized because Felix and I said something! Nino even admitted that if it hadn’t been for Karma, he would’ve never looked into her at all!”

Adrien shook his head, disappointed. “So, what, you’re just going to let this happen?” 

“No. Unlike you, I’m actually going to stand by his side against Lila.” She stated, arms crossed over her chest. How could she act like he was in the wrong here!

“Did you tell Nino to go after her?” The accusation slipped out before he could even think about what he was saying. It made sense, though. Why else would Nino be so set on exposing her?

Marinette scoffed in disbelief. “Of course not! He decided that on his own.” 

Adrien found himself pressing on his previous statement. “Really? Because he sure sounded a lot like you.”

“Well, that just means he has common sense.” She bit back. The tension in the room could probably be cut with a knife.

“What do you have against her, Mari! You’re only causing more problems. Is that what you want?”

Marinette glared daggers at him, but he ignored it. They had to talk this out, or else she’d never come back to him. That’s what friends do, after all, bring each other back to the right path.

“Yes.” 

Her answer shocked him. 

“What?”

Marinette swung her bag over her shoulder. “If exposing Lila causes more conflict, then fine. They should have listened to me earlier, or it wouldn’t be so bad.” 

Adrien couldn’t believe his ears. How could his lovely, sugar-sweet Marinette be saying such things?

He sighed, pure disappointment reflecting in his eyes. “Alya was right. You really are just a bully.” 

Adrien barely registered Marinette raising her fist. 

He grunted, his back hitting the lockers and his hand grabbing his jaw. Adrien looked up at her with wide eyes. 

Marinette didn’t respond, giving him one last scowl before running out of the room. 

~~~~~~

Marinette hissed as she rubbed her knuckles. Punching Adrien felt too good, but it did little to sedate her growing rage. 

A bully? Chloe terrorized the school daily and Lila manipulates the class as much as possible, but _she’s_ the bully? Ridiculous!

How _dare_ he call her that! 

“Marinette, you need to call down.” Tikki coaxed, trying to be as gentle as possible.

Marinette scoffed. _Calm down_? Why should she! After being treated so unfairly, she had a _right_ to be angry! Screw the akumas! Screw Hawkmoth! For once, she just wanted to _be angry_. To _feel_ something without having to worry about turning into a monster. She already was one in the class’ mind, anyway.

The bathroom door swung open, and she shrank into the stall she’d hid in. She didn’t care to deal with any of her other classmates.

“Marinette? Are you in here?”

Marinette sat up, confused.

“Felix?” She said, opening the stall door. That wouldn’t be as unusual except they were in the _girl’s_ bathroom. 

The blonde was panting in front of her, a worried look on his face.

“Are you okay? I saw you run in here.” He asked, looking her over. 

“You’re not allowed in here.“ 

"Did you think that would stop me?”

A sense of warmth spread through her chest. Gosh, she loves this man.

Her cheeks flushed toward the realization. 

She _loved_ Felix. 

There was no denying it now. He was so kind and gentle and stood firmly by her side since day one. How could she have possibly missed him before?

_Adrien._

A scowl returned to her face. That’s right. She’d been too obsessed with that spineless jerk to appreciate Felix properly. 

Her newly discovered love was clouded over by hatred once again, and she soon found herself ranting about what had happened.

Neither noticed the black butterfly slip through the bathroom window, not until it landed on Marinette’s purse. 

“Marinette!” Tikki cried, when the butterfly outline appeared on her face. 

_Hello, Miss Fortune. I am Hawkmoth. Your classmates have wronged you, and turned your own work against you. Together, we can show them what happens when they take their good fortune for granted._

Marinette wanted to argue, if not for the sake of Felix who was panicking next to her, but she was so tired. Tired of fighting akumas, Tired of her words being twisted to make her the bad guy. Just. Tired. 

She vaguely remembered unclipping her earrings and handing them to Felix, saying a single word before she was swallowed whole by the darkness.

“ _Run_.”


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can I stop repeating the summary?? I think I can stop repeating the summary now, right? I'm gonna stop repeating the summary.

Felix was distraught to say the least. Marinette was the sweetest, kindest, gentlest person he knew, and if _she_ was akumatized?

Well, the world might as well end right now.

Felix knew he should transform and help stop her- the screaming crowds assured him of that -but all he could focus on was finding Agreste and making him pay.

His hands clenched into fists, Ladybug’s earrings digging into his palms. 

Yes, _he_ was the one responsible for this. Lila may have been the one to lay the groundwork, but _Adrien’s_ the one who pushed Marinette over the edge.

And now he was going to get what he deserved. 

Despite the growing chaos, the blonde wasn’t hard to find. He was creeping past the panicking students, most likely for a place to hide.

 _Typical._ Felix thought bitterly. _Of course he’d try to avoid the consequences of his actions._

“Agreste!” Felix spat, prowling in the model’s direction.

Adrien froze like a deer in the headlights, turning to Felix with a horrified expression. They both knew what he was there for.

“Felix, I really don’t have time-” 

Felix cut him off by grabbing his collar and shoving him up against the wall. Screams and crashes surrounded them, but it was nothing compared to the fury roaring inside Felix’s chest. Adrien hurt Marinette- one of the most precious people in the world -so much that she became akumatized. He put her down and defended a liar and a bully, and he wanted to talk about not having _time_?

“I don’t care _what_ you have time for.” Felix ground out. “Do you even realize what you’ve done?!” 

He was _livid_ , even more so that Adrien didn’t seem to care. All he cared about was himself. As usual.

Adrien cowered beneath his glare, hands coming up to struggle out of Felix’s grasp. “I-I know, Felix, I know. I’m trying to fix it, but you have to let me go. I can-”

“BUT YOU CAN’T!” Felix snarled. Lies. Empty, _pathetic_ excuses to get out of the mess he’d put himself in. 

Another crash and a fresh series of screams rang through the school.

Felix glanced in the direction of the commotion, desperation and fear briefly washing over him.

“You can’t _do_ anything.” He nearly whispered, letting Adrien’s collar slip out of his hands as he cast his gaze to the floor. 

Marinette was an akuma, probably doing things he knew she’d regret later.

Ladybug’s earrings were heavy in his hands. 

Out of everyone she knew, she’d trusted this sacred magic to him. _Twice_ , in fact. He couldn’t let her down by wasting his energy on some brainless fool who didn’t deserve to look her way in the first place.

So, with a last scowl towards his cousin, Felix took off again, back towards the bathrooms. 

“Wayzz!” He panted once he was safely hidden from prying eyes.

The green kwami zipped to his side, along with another red one.

“You need to use the Ladybug miraculous, or else you won’t be able to purify Marinette’s akuma!” Tikki said urgently, hovering above the earrings.

Felix frowned. “I don’t have my ears pierced.”

As if on queue, the spotted earrings in his hands began glowing. When the light faded, it revealed a pair of clip on earrings instead. 

“Huh.. okay, so what about Wayzz?” He asked next, clipping on the earrings and hoping they stay put during battle.

“If I remember correctly,” Wayzz cut in just then, “You can use _more_ than one miraculous at the same time.” 

Felix raised his eyebrows in surprise, looking to Tikki for confirmation.

The kwami nodded, an encouraging look in her eyes. Ladybug was out, and Chat Noir wasn’t stable as of late. They needed all the help they could get.

With a final nod, Felix closed his eyes and said the magic words. “Wayzz, shell on, and Tikki, spots on!”

~~~~~~

Alya idly scrolled through her phone as she waited for class to start. Lila was retelling her story about going to the zoo with Prince Ali to Rose, who wanted every detail. Adrien hadn’t come into class yet. Marinette and Felix seemed to be late as well, which was odd- for Felix, not Marinette. And _Nino_ -

She spared a glance towards the desk behind her, where Nino sat next to Mylene with a sour expression. He’d stomped his way into class a few minutes ago, spitefully making a point to _not_ sit in the seat next to Adrien. She tried to ask him what happened, but he just shook his head and put on his headphones- a simple sign he didn’t feel like talking at the moment. 

The bell finally rang, but Adrien, Marinette, and Felix still weren’t there. 

“Good morning Class. Today we’re going to review-”

Mlle. Bustier didn’t get the chance to finish her sentence before a large crash sent the classroom door flying off its hinges and across the room. Half the class screamed, while the other half dove for cover. 

Alya was the select few to remain in her seat, swiftly pulling up the camera on her phone. 

“Well!” A voice cooed, and a girl sauntered into the room. She had a deep purple dress that hung just above her knees. The pitch black spots littering the dress brought out her black, half-sleeved leather jacket. Fishnet, fingerless gloves trailed her arms, and matching pantyhose adorned her legs, leading from her dress to her dark purple, lace-up boots with heels sharp enough to kill a man. 

“It seems I’ve caught you all in one place.” She grinned, revealing her uncannily sharp teeth. “How _convenient_.”

Alya swallowed, suddenly overcome with a paralyzing sense of dread. “M-Marinette?”

The outfit was so out of her range of style that Alya wouldn’t have recognized her had it not been for the signature ponytails. The only difference was that her pigtails were made of small daggers instead of hair, though her bangs were the same. 

The figure’s smile fell, slowly turning to face Alya. 

The reporter nearly dropped her phone from shock. 

Black. Marinette’s eyes were an inky black that almost seemed to swallow you whole. Purple tears smeared her cheeks, similar to paint.

“You may call me Miss Fortune.” The akuma- because what else could it be? -sneered, taking a purple and black handbag from around her shoulders. “On second thought, just don’t call me.” 

Miss Fortune used the strap of the handbag to swing it in the air, vaguely reminding Alya of Ladybug with her yo-yo.

A few brave students ran for the door, but she used the makeshift yo-yo to grab the door and throw it back into the wall, effectively blocking any attempt of escape.

Alya realized too late that she should have taken cover as well, because Miss Fortune swung the purse forward, letting it wrap around Alya’s neck until the open handbag was tied securely to the reporter’s mouth. 

“You want to call me a bully, tell me all my gracious gifts to you were simply manipulative tactics and nothing more? That’s fine with me, but if my gifts meant so little to you, I want them back.”

Alya felt the ropes around her neck tighten slightly, and she gagged. 

Miss Fortune inched forward, her devious smile returning. “Tell me, Alya, all the things I’ve done for you that you took for granted.” 

She choked and gasped, clawing at the string as different events tumbled out of her mouth, her meeting with Ladybug, Marinette’s free babysitting, her and Nino getting together. It felt as if she were being hollowed from the inside out, each word taking some of her hope and happiness from Marinette’s good deeds with it. 

Her chest was starting to feel numb when the sound of shattering glass rang out and someone tackled the akuma to the ground. 

Alya gasped, yanking the purse off her neck with shaky hands. Nino rushed to her side, throwing away the offending item.

The two looked for their savior, expecting to see Ladybug or Chat Noir.

Instead, they saw a green-clad heroine facing off Miss Fortune with a round, turtle-shell shield. Nino, of course, recognized it immediately.

“That’s the other Carapace!” He said out of shock. 

The hero gave him an irritated glance. “I have a name. It’s Bouclier.” 

Alya scrambled for her phone despite her current condition. She wanted all the information on the new hero she could get. Besides, this was no ordinary Carapace- or Bouclier -from the looks of it. She knew for a fact that Nino’s costume only had green and yellow colors, but this one has Carapace _and_ Ladybug colors. While most of the suit was green, the hood was black, along with the knee and elbow pads. The spaces around the pads were bright red, as well as the torso which was usually a light green. The inside of his shell shield was red and spotted, and Alya noticed not one, but two yo-yos hanging around his waist. 

A quick glance to his wrist and ears confirmed that he was indeed wearing both the Ladybug and Turtle miraculous. What a huge scoop! 

“Bouclier. I knew you’d come for me.” Miss Fortune glared, getting to her feet and carefully dusting off her dress. 

Bouclier held his ground, shield ready but yo-yos still on his waist untouched. “Marinette, don’t do this.”

An emotionless laugh came from her black lips. “What’s the matter? I thought this was what you wanted. To get back at the class.”

Her expression softened, and she took a step towards him with an extended hand. “Stop this nonsense, and _join_ me. We don’t have to fight.” 

Alya furrowed her eyebrows when Bouclier tensed. The way she spoke to him.. Did they know each other? Was he actually considering her offer?

Before Bouclier could respond, the classroom door was kicked in for the second time that day, knocking Bouclier and Miss Fortune to the ground. 

Chat Noir jumped inside, baton spinning in his hands as he scanned the room for the threat.

“ _Great_ timing.” Bouclier said sarcastically from underneath the akuma.

“Where’s Ladybug?” Chat asked, ignoring Bouclier’s comment.

Miss Fortune hissed, pushing herself off of Bouclier and lunging forward to grab her purse.

“I’m afraid Ladybug’s out of commission right now.” She snipped, spinning her purse again.

Chat’s eyes widened, turning to Bouclier. “What does she mean-”

It was then the Cat noticed Bouclier’s earrings. 

“Wait, are those-”

“Focus on the akuma.” Bouclier cut him off, finally taking the yo-yos from his waist.

Alya watched as the two charged at each other. Miss Fortune aimed for Bouclier’s neck, and he ducked, sliding underneath her and standing on the other side. He then used both yo-yos to grab her by the waist and fling her out the window. 

“What are you doing!” Chat yelled, oddly panicked as he raced to the window.

“Creating distance.” Bouclier grunted, hooking the yo-yos to his side again. “We need to get her away from the class.” 

With that, the turtle-themed hero left the classroom, and Chat reluctantly followed after him.

Alya stopped the video, knowing she didn’t have enough strength to go after the three. She could only hope they stopped Marinette in time.

~~~~~~

Bouclier ignored the burning in his lungs as he chased Miss Fortune across the rooftops. After her threw her out of the classroom, she started running around the city, probably to tire them before striking. 

It was working.

“We’re never gonna catch up with her this way.” Chat huffed, lagging behind a bit.

“What other choice do we have?” Bouclier called back.

Miss Fortune abruptly stopped on one of the rooftops, nearly causing Bouclier to run into her.

Chat wasn’t so lucky, full on tripping into the akuma. She used his momentum to flip him over and off of the roof.

Bouclier swiftly took out his yo-yos, grabbing onto the string with each one. He then yanked as hard as could, breaking the strap and catching the purse when it flew into the air.

He waited for the akuma, waited for the dark power to melt off of Miss Fortune and bring back Marinette, but nothing happened.

A cackle came from Miss Fortune, and he looked up just in time to see her spin and kick him in the stomach. 

Bouclier grunted when he hit the rooftop, watching her pick up the broken purse.

“You didn’t think it’d be that easy, did you?” She grinned, pulling the purse completely in half. Still no akuma. Instead, the purse turned into two yo-yos. 

He scoffed in annoyance, scrambling to his feet and grabbing his own yo-yos. The akuma was definitely in her purse, but how was he going to get it if he couldn’t break it?

A faint groan caught his attention. Chat Noir. His cataclysm ability. That could work.

Miss Fortune tisked towards his defensive stance, idly swinging both halves of her purse as she strolled forward. 

“It doesn’t have to be this way. We can fight _together_. Take down Hawkmoth, take care of Lila and the others. We’ll be unstoppable.” 

Bouclier winced at the repeated offer. It was certainly tempting, if he was being honest. But this…

He met her eyes, hollow, devoid of the light that once shone so brightly.

This was not Marinette. This was not the person who’d befriended him in spite of his stiff attitude. The one who lit up his life with a simple smile. The one so kind and compassionate that she would do anything for anyone, whether they deserved it or not.

The one he’d fallen so deeply in love with. 

“I’m sorry.” 

He truly was.

“But I can’t stand by you this time.” 

Miss Fortune frowned, genuine disappointment crossing her features for just a moment. Then she shook her head and sighed.

“If you’re sure you won’t change your mind.” 

Her yo-yos swung forward, wrapping around Bouclier’s arms and chest so he couldn’t move. He struggled against the hold, helpless as she walked forward to grab his earrings.

“Looks like I’m on my own. Again.”

Bouclier gave her a sad smile. Not if he had anything to say about it.

“Chat Noir!” 

Miss Fortune’s eyes widened.

“Cataclysm!” The cat-themed hero cried, grabbing the strings between her and Bouclier.

The purse disintegrated instantly, a black akuma rising from the dust. Bouclier swiftly caught the akuma, and ran to Marinette’s side.

He barely let the magic wash off her body before scooping her up and heading in the direction of her house. She’s going to want time to recover.

~~~~~~

Marinette awoke to the rush of wind in her ears and a pair of arms wrapped around her. She cracked an eye open to see passing rooftops. Where was she? Who was carrying her? The last thing she remembered was ranting to Felix in the bathroom. Then everything went fuzzy…

She gasped. 

Had she been akumatized? What happened to Felix? How much damage did she cause? Were they able to fix her in time?

“It’s alright. You’re safe now.” A familiar voice said softly, their grip on her tightening slightly.

Her gaze snapped upwards, coming face to face with Bouclier.

“Felix.” She breathed. He was okay. Thank goodness he was okay.

He glanced down at her with a small smile that made her stomach flip.

“I’m taking you home. The school won’t mind your absence after what just happened.” Bouclier informed gently, stopping on what Marinette recognized as her balcony.

She nodded. Some time to herself sounded nice. She had a lot to think about. However..

“Will you stay with me?” 

Some company also sounded nice, especially some time with Felix. She just realized she loved him, after all. Gosh, how was she going to tell him? How does one plan for these sort of things?

Felix tensed, abruptly setting her down. “I can’t. I need to get back to school.”

The answer was short, almost panicked, though she couldn’t place why.

“Oh. okay.” She faltered, pushing back the disappointment. “Will I see you later then?” 

The blonde shook his head. “No, I.. My mom has something planned tonight.”

Marinette furrowed her eyebrows. Excuses? Why wouldn’t he just talk to her?

“Felix-” 

He cut her off, taking off the earrings- she vaguely noticed the red and black leave his costume -and handing them to her. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

He was gone before she could even blink.

The ravenette frowned. What was _that_?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a bright flash of light and a cheery voice.

“Marinette!” Tikki cried, snuggling into her holder’s cheek.

Marinette giggled, lightly cupping her kwami in a small hug.

“I’m sorry I caused so much trouble.”

Tikki shook her head. “Not at all! I’m just glad you’re back.” 

Marinette smiled, tilting her head to put on the earrings. “Thanks. Let’s go talk to Maman and Papa. I’m sure they were worried too.”

~~~~~~

Adrien sat down in seat, still rubbing his jaw from yesterday. Marinette was lucky he was such a good friend or else he might’ve gone to the principal’s office to report her behavior. 

“Can you believe it?” Alya said eagerly from behind him. “A hero using _two_ miraculous? And a new hero at that!” 

He bit back a growl. Ladybug missed the fight against Marinette’s akuma yesterday. That alone wouldn’t be so bad had she not entrusted her miraculous to a stranger. Chat Noir’s been on the team way longer than Bouclier! How could she give it to him instead? Did their partnership mean nothing to her?

“That’s so cool, Alya!” Rose chirped, cheerful as always. “What was his name again?” 

“I think it was ‘Nuclear’.” Alix answered.

“ _Bouclier_.” Nino corrected.

Adrien winced, hyper aware of the fact that his best friend wasn’t sitting next to him anymore. They hadn’t spoken since their argument yesterday. Even Plagg’s started getting snippy with him. Why did everyone act like _he_ was the enemy here? _They_ were the ones causing all of the problems! He just wanted to keep the peace, for all of them to be friends again. Was that too much to ask?

Alya waved off the comments. “Either way, he’s _got_ to be the one responsible for all of those shields in the other battles. I wonder why Ladybug gave him her miraculous. I hope she’s okay.”

Chloe scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Of course she’s okay. It’s Ladybug. She probably took a day off or something.”

A day off? Adrien almost laughed. His Lady was much too obsessed with professionalism to do such a thing. 

“Would Ladybug do that?” Kim asked, as if he were reading Adrien’s thoughts. 

“No. She wouldn’t.” Alya answered in Ladybug’s stead, throwing Chloe a pointed glare. 

Chloe only hummed. “Well, she should. Goodness knows she could use one.” 

Adrien nodded in agreement. They could both use a break, possibly together, under candle light, with no Bouclier in sight. 

The chatter died down a little when Marinette and Felix walked into the classroom. Both glared at him as they passed. 

Adrien looked away, mostly because of Felix. He’d never seen his cousin get so angry before. If it hadn’t been for the akuma, Adrien had a feeling Felix would’ve done a lot more than grab his shirt. 

“Ladybug will come back soon, and I hope she can tell us more about Bouclier when she does.” Alya grinned, watching the video on her phone for the fifth time that morning.

Adrien inwardly groaned. _That makes one of us._

~~~~~~

Marinette absently stabbed her food with her fork. Not only did Felix stiffly reject her invitation to hang out yesterday, he also refused today when she asked if he was eating lunch with them. He didn’t talk to her during class either, despite her efforts. Or even _look_ at her really. Why was he avoiding her? Did she do something wrong?

“Are you gonna eat, Mari?” Aurore asked curiously, pulling her from her thoughts.

Marinette gave a tight smile. “Ah. No, I’m.. not really hungry.” 

The group exchanged a few looks.

“Is this about Felix?” Luka was brave enough to ask.

The ravenette straightened, her cheeks tinged pink. “What? _No_. Why would you- I mean, that isn’t-”

Aurore giggled, the others giving her a knowing glance.

“Come on, Nette. You two couldn’t be more obvious if you tried.” Wayhem remarked, only making Marinette more flustered.

“I- We’re not- t-two?” Did that mean they thought Felix loved her too?

Kagami calmly set her spoon in her bowl and crossed her arms over the table. “Felix can be complicated. He’s not exactly tuned in to his own feelings.”

Marinette squeaked. “S-so he’s _not_ avoiding me?” 

“I guess you’ll just have to ask and find out.” Luka smiled. That was easier said than done. When would she even ask him about it? What if he won’t answer her questions?

Too many scenarios ran through her mind at the suggestion, but Marinette knew she had to do it. Felix meant everything to her. She’d be darned if she let him slip through her fingers because of some wild anxieties. 

Her chair scratched across the floor as she shot to her feet. “I’ll see you guys after class.” 

The others nodded, each giving her an encouraging smile as she left. 

Marinette raced passed the other students, down the hall, and through the front doors. If she wanted to ask him, she had to ask him directly, face to face. Felix didn’t tell her where he would be eating for lunch, but if what Kagami implied was true, she had a hunch she knew _exactly_ where he was.

~~~~~~

Felix ran his hands through his hair, watching Marinette’s name flash across his phone screen for what had to be the tenth time. Why was she calling him? Better yet, why wouldn’t he answer? 

_You know why_. A voice hissed in the back of his mind.

Yes, He knew. It was because he was in love with her. Fighting her yesterday.. Finally getting her back and being able to hold her close.. he realized that Marinette meant everything to him. He couldn’t ruin their friendship over something as fickle as love. Too many things could go wrong. What if she didn’t reciprocate his feelings? What if they only dated for a week and realized they didn’t like each other that way? Or at all? 

Felix sighed. 

Nevertheless, he still found himself wanting to be with her. The way her eyes sparkled when she talked about her passion, or how her laughs sounded like bells and made him feel lighter than air. She was a dangerous addiction that he just wanted more and more and _more_ of everyday. It was why he decided to eat at the restaurant where they first met. It was a wonderful reminder of how much joy she’d brought into his life.

“Forgive me, Master, but wouldn’t it be easier to just talk to her?” Wayzz helpfully suggested from the safety of Felix’s bag.

“You think I haven’t tried?” Felix groaned. Talking to Marinette used to be so easy. You just.. _Talk_ to her, and she’ll listen. Now, any time she so much as _looked_ at him he was rendered speechless. 

She probably thought he was a jerk, avoiding her all day, but how do you tell your closest friend that you’ve fallen hopelessly in love with them? That you have no idea what to do with these sudden feelings?

A small commotion at the front of the restaurant caused his gaze to flick to the door. Any distracts were welcome at this point.

His heart skipped a beat.

Marinette stood in the doorway, searching the tables with a fiery determination. 

It only took a few seconds for her bluebell eyes to land on him, and she was at his table in an instant, giving him no time to hide.

“Are you avoiding me?” 

The questions was so straight forward that Felix wasn’t sure how to respond. So he blurted out the truth.

“Yes?” 

Wrong answer. _Wrong answer!_

Hurt etched across Marinette’s face, similar to the ache quickly spreading through his chest. why did he have to be such an idiot!

“I see.” She said, gripping the side of her jacket. “I’m sorry to bother you then.” 

“W-wait!” Felix was on his feet before he could fully register what he was doing. 

Marinette gave a pained smile, stepping back. “Felix, it’s fine. You want your space. I get it.” 

He resisted the urge to face palm. “No! That’s not what I want!” 

The ravenette frowned, now confused. “Then what _do_ you want?” 

_You._ His mind screamed. _Always you_.

But he said nothing. _Why_ wasn’t he _saying_ anything!

Marinette nodded, taking his silence as an answer and turning around. “You don’t have to tell me anything, but I’m always here if you wanna talk.” 

She started walking away, and he panicked. 

“I’m in love with you!” 

No! Why did that have to be the first thing to come to mind!

She stopped walking. 

He stopped breathing. 

Slowly, Marinette turned back to him, eyes wide with shock. “You're what?”

He swallowed, shrinking towards the booth behind him. “I-I’m..” 

Should he say it again? She clearly asked, and he’d already messed everything up. What other damage could he really cause?

“I love you.” He finally repeated, trying to look anywhere else but at her. He didn’t care to see her reaction or her panic towards not returning his feelings.

She stood there frozen, mouth agape and shoulders slack. Gosh, why did he ever think this was a good idea? She’s probably trying to sort out a rejection right now. He’d never be able to see her again. The best thing that ever happened to him would be gone in an instant because he couldn’t keep his stupid mouth shut.

Then she did the simplest thing in the world. She leaned forward, and she kissed him. And his whole world cracked open.


	19. Chapter 19

Felix always hated the idea of love. It was too unpredictable, too messy. Not to mention, It was also completely unnecessary. He never understood why everyone seemed so taken with the concept. Even watching his parents made him sneer as he grew older. They acted as if their marriage couldn’t fall apart in seconds due to some minor arguments. No, he’d decided a long time ago that love wasn’t for him.

But standing here now, holding Marinette close with her lips on his. He realized it wasn’t all that bad. The electricity from her touch coursing through every corner of his body was an addicting feeling. Her hands coming up to dig through his hair drove him crazy in a way he didn’t know was possible.

“I love you too.” She mumbled against his lips, sending his heart soaring. 

He opened his mouth to reply when the person sitting closest to them loudly cleared their throat.

Marinette and Felix flushed, stepping apart. He’d forgotten they were in a restaurant.

“Why don’t we start walking back? Lunch period is almost over anyway.” Marinette suggested, rendering him breathless with her soft, bluebell eyes.

Felix nodded lamely and laced his fingers with hers. “Is this alright?” 

The shining grin on her face was all the answer he needed as she gave his hand a loving squeeze. “It’s perfect.”

~~~~~~

To say the class was shocked when Felix and Marinette came to school hand in hand was an understatement. Even Lila gasped at the new couple as they took their seats in the back.

“What the heck is _this_?” Alya blanched, gesturing towards their entwined hands.

“What does it look like?” Felix asked, as if it was obvious- which it was. To make it completely clear, though, he placed a sweet kiss on Marinette’s forehead. 

The ravenette blushed, but leaned into his touch with a fond smile.

A whole new wave of surprise washed over the class at the sight. They’d never seen Felix show so much affection before.

Some thought it made sense, whether it be because the two already spent so much time together or simply because “Sweet and Sour” work well together was for you to decide.

Others- such as Alya -either couldn’t wrap their heads around it or flat out rejected the idea entirely. 

Adrien fell into the latter category.

Marinette and Felix.. They were dating?

Sweet-as-sugar Marinette was dating Salt-incarnate Felix? He just couldn’t see that happening. But a glance at the back proved that was exactly what was going on. 

Felix and Marinette sat together, hands held and shoulders touching. Marinette smiled her bright smile he hadn’t seen directed towards him recently as she talked. Felix smiled warmly down at her- a rare smile Adrien had only caught a glimpse of twice in the last month.

They were very much in love, and for some reason that made Adrien’s stomach twist. Why did it bother him so much?

~~~~~~

“Unbelievable.” Alya grumbled, watching Felix and Marinette from afar as they talked to the “Marinette squad”. Everything looked normal, standing on the front steps of the school, except Felix had his arm around Marinette, hugging her close every now and then.

“I kind of saw it coming.” Nino admitted with a shrug.

Alya glared, though not necessarily at him. “What do you mean you saw it coming!” 

Her boyfriend frowned, tipping his hat. “Well, they always hang out together.. And Felix doesn’t talk to the rest of us. So it makes sense that they ended up together.”

“What about _Adrien_?!” Alya nearly flailed her arms in exasperation. 

Nino scoffed, something he’d been doing a lot when the blonde was mentioned. “What about him? He never showed any interest in her anyway.” 

The words were bitter, a hidden layer underneath that Alya was dying to know about. He still wouldn’t tell her what happened between them. 

“Well, wasn’t Marinette bullying Lila _because_ of Adrien?”

Something akin to anger flashed in the DJ’s eyes, but he didn’t say anything.

Alya frowned, turning back to the couple just in time to see Felix kiss Marinette’s cheek. Their group cheered in response, quickly swallowing Marinette and Felix in a group hug. They all looked so happy that it made Alya sick. If Marinette wasn’t interested in Adrien anymore, why was she still hurting Lila? Nothing was making sense. 

“Hey guys! Are you ready to go?” Lila suddenly asked, pulling Alya from her thoughts.

“Yes! We are gonna have a blast at the ice rink today!” Alya said excitedly, linking her arm with Lila’s.

Nino shifted uncomfortably. “About that.. I can’t go.” 

Her face immediately fell. 

“Why not? We’ve been planning this since last week.” 

Nino’s gaze flicked to Lila, then to the school stairs. “Sorry, I’ve got a lot of homework to catch up on.” 

A sniffle brought their attention back to Lila. 

“You’re not coming? I was so looking forward to all of us hanging out together.” The brunette lamented, resembling a kicked puppy.

Alya almost sat down from shock when she saw Nino briefly roll his eyes. What was his problem today?

“Look, I’m sorry, but I’m not coming. Have fun.” He replied shortly, already walking down the school steps.

She thought she was full on hallucinating when she caught a glimpse of Nino and Marinette subtly waving bye to each other.

“You don’t think he’s mad at me, do you?” Lila said tentatively, hugging her chest as she watched him leave.

Alya immediately shook her head. “No, no! I’m sure it’s not your fault. He’s just going through some things.” 

Lila nodded, though she still seemed unsure. “Okay. I trust you to help him out.” 

The red-head smiled. That’s right. She was his girlfriend, and it was her job to help him out when he needed it. She would get to the bottom of this. If Nino was actually starting to talk to Marinette again, that would explain why he was being rude to Lila. 

Alya’s eyes filled with determination. She couldn’t stop Marinette from going down the wrong path, but she _would_ be able to stop Nino. She had to, no matter what.

~~~~~~

Marinette grinned from ear to ear as she swung her and Felix’s joined hands back and forth. He told her he was in love with her! This was the best day of her life!

“Ugh, we’re so close! Why can’t Andre just pick a spot and stay there?” Aurore whined, studying the GPS on her phone. 

“It’s not as special if you don’t have to put in effort for the ice cream.” Luka pointed out with a smile.

The group had been overjoyed when she and Felix announced their love for each other, and immediately suggested a trip to Andre’s to celebrate the new couple. Marinette eagerly agreed. This would be her first trip to Andre’s with someone special!

“I think walking to a shop would be enough effort.” Wayhem commented, gaining a snort from Aurore.

“Stop complaining. Andre’s right there.” Kagami scolded, pointing ahead to the ice cream cart in the distance.

Aurore and Wayhem perked up and, upon spotting the cart themselves, broke into a sprint to get to the ice cream truck. 

Luka laughed and picked up the pace with Kagami, leaving Marinette and Felix behind.

“Are you sure you want to share an ice cream? I thought you didn’t like sweets.” Marinette asked, looking up at her boyfriend. Her _boyfriend_!

The blonde met her gaze with a soft smile that melted her heart. “I don’t, but this sounds special to you. So I’ll try it anyway.” 

Marinette didn’t know her grin could get any wider. 

She stepped up on her tiptoes and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “You’re the best.” 

Felix’s cheeks tinged pink, but he chuckled. “For trying ice cream?” 

She giggled, grabbing his arm with her free hand and leaning on his shoulder. “For everything.”

Felix squeezed her hand, lightly caressing the back of it with his thumb. “I love you.”

Marinette hummed. She wanted to listen to him say those words to her over and over again. 

“Guys, hurry up!” Aurore urged, now holding a chocolate ice cream. 

“If you take any longer, we’re gonna have to walk to Andre’s new location!” Wayhem joined in, holding a cotton candy and lemon ice cream.

Marinette laughed, while Felix rolled his eyes, but they picked up the pace nonetheless.

“Ah! A new couple! It’s as clear as day from the look you share.” The ice cream vendor cooed. He spun his ice cream scooper in his hand and scooped a few different flavors from the ice cream buckets, packing them all onto one cone.

“May this ice cream help you seal your love, so you can overcome any trials you face.” Andre said happily, handing them the cone.

The two thanked him, before sitting with the rest of the group on the benches.

“So, which one of you guys confessed first? It was Mari, right?” Aurore asked once they sat down. 

Marinette and Felix blushed. They hadn’t filled them in on all the details yet.

“Actually, Felix said it first.” Marinette said shyly, glancing towards Felix. She could tell he was flustered about the whole thing. I mean, who _wouldn’t_ be a little embarrassed about blurting out a declaration of love in front of a restaurant full of people.

To their surprise, Aurore scrunched up her nose in annoyance while Luka and Wayhem laughed. 

“Seriously? I thought for sure you’d be the one to tell him!” She huffed, taking something out of her pocket and roughly putting it in Kagami’s hands.

“Was that- did you _bet_ on us?” Felix asked, a hint of agitation in his tone.

Everyone turned sheepish except for Kagami, who gave a smug smirk. 

“It was easy money. How could I refuse?” 

“But you’re rich!” Aurore flailed her arms, obviously still bitter about losing the bet.

Kagami only shrugged, taking another bite of her ice cream.

Marinette couldn’t help laughing towards their antiques.

“You know, I hope things never change.” She sighed blissfully, looking over her group of friends with a fond smile.

They returned her smile, nodding in agreement. This circle of friendship they had formed was something to be cherished. 

_And the relationships._ She thought to herself, watching as Felix took a bite of their ice cream. He kept his expression neutral, but she saw his eye twitch, signifying his dislike for the dessert.

Her heart swelled with love and happiness. Yes, she had something good, and she would make sure to cherish every bit of it.

~~~~~~

Adrien was still thinking about Felix and Marinette’s declaration of love well past school hours. Even as he jumped across rooftops to go meet his Lady for evening patrol he couldn’t stop thinking about it. Felix had never shown any signs of emotions besides spite and anger before. How Felix could look at Marinette so fondly and be so gentle was beyond him. He heard they even went to get ice cream together at Andre’s. Everyone knew how big of a deal that was. 

As Chat Noir neared their traditional rendezvous point to start patrols, his previous thoughts were set to the side when he started to hear laughing and talking. One voice was easily recognizable as his Lady. No one else had a laugh like hers.

Bouclier and Ladybug were sitting on the rooftop together- way too close, in his opinion. Were their hands touching?! -and they seemed to be laughing it up about who knows what. Her laugh was so heartfelt and whole that he would usually be elated to hear it had it not been for the fact that he knew Bouclier was the cause. Whatever happened to it being _just them_? Chat Noir and Ladybug. Yin and Yang. Why was she so intent on hanging out with other guys and ignoring him?

“I hope I’m not interrupting.” He spoke up, barely containing a growl.

The two jumped and looked back at him with a mix of surprise and embarrassment.

_Too absorbed in each other. What if I had been a villain?_

“Oh, Chat Noir. You’re here.” Ladybug said light-heartedly, standing up. No, ‘hey Chat. How was your day?’ No ‘I’ve missed you, Kitty’. Just ‘oh, you’re here’. Did he even matter to her anymore? Or had he been some cheap amusement for her until she was able to have a new playmate?

His Lady didn’t acknowledge his silence, instead starting a ramble about the patrols. “So, since we have Bouclier now, I was thinking we could take West and East like usual, except Bouclier would take North. Then we could all meet up at the South and-”

“Yeah, yeah. that’s great, Bugaboo. Can I talk to you for a sec?” He interrupted, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and guiding her to the other side of the roof. This had gone on long enough. They needed to take action before Bouclier caused a serious rift between them. 

Ladybug glanced back at the turtle-themed hero, who now on his feet, and motioned for him to stay put. Perfect. She could tell this was a serious conversation.

“Do you really think having Bouclier on the team is necessary?” Chat Noir asked once they were “alone”. 

Ladybug’s eyes widened in surprise, then she gave him a small glare and crossed her arms. “Yes, of course he’s necessary. We need all the help we can get, Chat.” 

Chat held up his hand defensively. “Absolutely! I totally agree with you, My Lady. It’s just.. Does he have to be a _permanent_ hero? The temporary ones have worked fine so far.”

Ladybug sighed in frustration, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Bouclier lightens the load for us. It’s easier to manage the job if we have more people to spread the responsibilities to.” 

“But we’ve always been fine before!” Chat pointed out. “Sorry, LB, but three’s a crowd, and I, for one, don’t enjoy being singled out.” 

Ladybug’s gaze shot back up. “Wha- you- no one is being singled out.” 

The black-clad hero crossed his arms and pulled a small pout. “Yeah, you say that, but then you’re off joking around with that guy during fights. I’m telling you, he’s going to cause trouble and I want him off the team before he comes between us.” 

He really hoped she would agree. That Ladybug would think it over and realize where he was coming from. The dynamic between the Cat and the Ladybug was a delicate thing that needed to be protected if they were to capture the akumas. They shouldn’t risk tipping the scales on some random guy who’s filled with nothing but spiteful remarks.

Unfortunately, though, Ladybug wasn’t exactly understanding as much as she was rageful. 

She sharply inhaled, getting right in front of him so he could see exactly how much fury swam behind her bluebell eyes. “Let me tell you something. Bouclier is a _brilliant_ addition to the team who has helped us so much in the _week_ that he’s been here.” She jabbed her finger into his chest. “And I will _not_ take him off the team just because you are _jealous_.”

Chat Noir scoffed in disbelief. She thought this was only about _jealousy_? I mean, yes, that was the _core_ of it, but there was still more than that. Their dynamic was suffering because of Bouclier, and since neither of them could leave- their miraculous were too important -then it only makes sense that Bouclier should be the one to go. It was like she didn’t even listen to him because of his feelings for her! 

But fine. He can see how far _their_ partnership goes, if they ever even had one in the first place. 

“If he’s such a _brilliant_ partner, then I guess he won’t have trouble covering my section of patrol.” He huffed, stomping over to the edge of the roof and taking out his baton. _Obviously_ , he wasn’t needed there. Ladybug and her _brilliant addition_ should be able to do _just fine_ without Chat Noir.

He ignored her protests as he propelled himself towards the mansion. Let them patrol the city on their own. Then see what she thought about having permanent heroes on the team. Ladybug would come running back to him before patrol tomorrow night.

~~~~~~

The next day at school, Nino scribbled down as much information as he could about Lila and all of her lies. If he wanted to convince the class that she was lying, he’d have to have proof and would need to be able to counter any excuses she had. Now, this might be going a bit overboard since he wanted to talk with his classmates privately, but you could never be too careful.

Who should he start with though? Juleka and Nathaniel don’t really pay attention to the drama, right? He should be able to sway them over easily, maybe ask them to talk with Marc and Rose about it..

“What are you doing?” Mylene asked next to him.

Nino jumped, scrambling to flip his notebook closed. “O-oh -uh- nothin- nothing much!” 

After his argument with Adrien two days ago, he knew he couldn’t sit with him anymore. So he changed seats to be next to Mylene. She was so quiet, though, that he would sometimes forget she was there. 

Mylene frowned slightly, eyeing his notebook with suspicion. “Sorry, you looked really focused for a second. I was just curious.” 

He smiled nervously and looked down at the notebook as well. Lying was never really his forte.

On second thought, why would he need to lie? He wants to convince the class right? Why not start with Mylene?

“Actually, do you mind if I talk to you about something? We’ve gotta be quiet though.” He began, re-opening the notebook and giving Lila a cautious glare.

Mylene nodded, curiosity reflecting in her eyes as she inched closer. 

Nino got back to his page of notes, lowering his voice to a whisper. “You know how Mari said Lila was lying? I think she’s right.” 

Mylene reeled back, shock written all over her face. “Why would you think that?” 

Nino pushed the notebook over for her to read. “I thought something was off so I tried to look up some of her stories, but I couldn’t find any. She hangs out with a bunch of famous people, right? Wouldn’t something like that be in the news or on a post somewhere?”

Mylene didn’t respond as she read over the notes, her frown deepening the further she got. Finally, she set the notebook down and looked at Lila, who was happily chatting with Alya.

“I don’t know, Nino.. Lila’s super sweet. I have a hard time believing she’s actually been lying to us.”

“What about Mari?” Nino argued. He was getting close! She was _almost_ on board! “Wasn’t she super sweet? Think about how she was _before_ Lila came. Or even after. Has Mari ever done anything unfair or mean to us?”

Mylene quietly thought it over. Nino didn’t interrupt. He knew changing your views on somebody could be pretty hard, especially when they had no concrete evidence to go off of.

She then sighed, fiddling with the metal spirals on the notebook. “No.. you’re right.. Marinette wouldn’t lie like that, would she?” 

The guilt she felt was clear, but Nino couldn’t help getting excited. She believed him! They were going somewhere with this!

“It’s hard to take in. Go ahead and investigate for yourself, too. I need all the help I can get.” He admitted, stealing his notebook back to continue writing.

“Help? For what?” Mylene asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

Nino glanced at the brunette in front of them again. “For exposing Lila for the person she _really_ is.” 

Mylene followed his gaze, bitterness slowly spreading across her features.

“I’ll talk to Ivan.” She said dutifully. “You can keep working on the list, and we’ll talk to who we can.” 

Nino nodded with an appreciative smile, before turning back to his notes.

One down, too many more to go.


	20. Chapter 20

“I can’t _believe_ him!” Marinette fumed, pacing around the park. “How arrogant and self-centered can one person be?”

Three days _._ It’s been _three days_ since Chat ditched patrol and he _still_ hasn’t come back. Thank goodness there wasn’t an akuma attack or who knows what they would do! 

“It’s extremely immature.” Felix agreed curtly, sitting on a bench and watching her pace. They’d decided to eat alone for lunch today so she could get some rants off of her chest. 

“How long is he going to keep this up? Weeks? Months?” Marinette asked the sky. There was no telling with Chat Noir. 

Felix shook his head in disgust. “Have you talked with Master Fu?” 

Her pacing paused, only to start back up again at a quicker rate.

“I’ll take that as a no.”

Marinette let out a small wine, chewing her bottom lip. Of course she hadn’t spoken to Master Fu. Chat Noir was an unnecessary nuisance, but taking away his miraculous sounded so.. Harsh. She knew that she would be lost without Tikki, and she didn’t want Chat to go through any of that. No matter _how_ unreasonable he was being.

Her love sighed. “Mari, you have to draw a line somewhere.” 

She groaned again and started fiddling with her jacket. “I know, I know. It’s just..”

Chat Noir had been with her since the beginning. It felt surreal to throw him to the side now, but they couldn’t keep this up. What if things only got worse? How far was he willing to go to get his delusional points across? What if next time, he doesn’t bail during patrol, but during an actual attack? Sure, she and Felix could probably take them alone, but that wasn’t the point. They were supposed to be a team.

The slamming of a book brought Marinette’s attention back to Felix, who set his book aside and stood up. 

“If you keep worrying like this, you’re going to attract an akuma.” He warned as he pulled her into a hug.

Marinette hummed, wrapping her arms around his waist. “Good. Maybe then I can knock some sense into him.” 

She felt Felix’s chuckle reverberate through his chest.

“As interesting as that would be, I’d prefer not to fight you again.” 

Marinette giggled and gave a dramatic sigh of feigned disappointment. “Alright, fine. What should I think about instead?”

Felix’s expression turned thoughtful as he gently swayed them back and forth. 

“How about the dinner we have scheduled with your parents tonight? I still haven’t figured out what to tell them.”

A grin spread across her lips. “Fe, it’s gonna be fine. I’m positive they’re gonna let us date after everything you’ve done for me.”

“Yes, I assume so, but what if they don’t? What if they want us to wait longer or try to meddle?” He fretted, absently pulling her closer.

She laughed and nuzzled into his shoulder. “They’re _definitely_ going to meddle, but in a good way. Like, asking too many questions about our hang outs or inviting you to anything under the sun.”

His silence gave away his growing nervousness, and Marinette pulled away from the hug just enough to meet his eyes. 

“Felix, everything is going to be fine.” She repeated softly, bringing her hand up to caress his cheek. “Just tell them that you love me and that we want to be together and everything will go from there.”

A sense of triumph washed over her as he smiled, and her heart skipped a beat when he leaned forward and kissed her. She still wasn’t quite used to this.

“I do love you.” He whispered, lightly touching their foreheads together.

Marinette couldn’t help the bright grin creeping onto her features. She would forever thank Ladybug’s luck that she found this man.

“I love you too, but we should start walking back to the school. The others will never shut up if we’re late.” She said teasingly.

Felix’s nose scrunched up in annoyance at the thought. 

“I’ll get my bag.” 

~~~~~~

Nino avoided eye contact as much as possible as he passed Alya’s table. He still loved her, but he just couldn’t hang out with the rest of the group anymore, not when he knew the truth about Adrien and Lila.

“Have you talked to her yet?” Mylene asked as he sat down next to her. 

A heavy sigh escaped him, and he slumped into his chair. “No..”

He knew he needed to. The sooner he told Alya about Lila’s lies, the better. 

He knew that, but..

“What if she doesn’t believe me?” 

They’d been a couple for a good few months now, and he assumed they were inseparable at this point. After Felix’s akuma, though, she started to change. Or rather, he started to _notice_ how she’d changed. Alya was glued to Lila’s side, disgusted by anyone who even hinted towards the fact that the brunette might not be a perfect angel. The few times Nino dared to say something, Alya became agitated and enraged on Lila’s behalf. It was a clear warning sign considering his girlfriend was usually reasonable.

Mylene offered him a small smile, leaning onto Ivan, who was sitting next to her. “Don’t worry, Nino. Alya’s your girlfriend. You guys should trust each other.” 

Ivan nodded in agreement, gently draping his arm around Mylene’s shoulders.

Nino frowned. Alya didn’t seem to trust him too much at the moment. That was his problem.

“Well, I’ll figure it out. How’s the progress on the rest of the class?” He asked, straightening in his seat and turning to the others at the table. Nathaniel, Juleka, Ivan, and Mylene were the only ones he’d convinced so far. They agreed to sit together today to work out some plans to reveal Lila to the other students. 

Nathaniel glanced up from his sketchbook. “I talked to Marc about it, and he seemed to be taking it well. I still need to talk to Alex though.”

Nino nodded. If they can convince Alex, then she can talk to Kim, who can talk to Max, and so on.

“I.. haven’t talked to Rose yet..” Juleka mumbled, nervously rubbing the pocket mirror embedded into her glove.

“Hey, don’t sweat it, dudette. Whenever you get the chance is fine.” Nino assured. As long as they weren’t sitting around doing nothing, everything should work out.

His eyes unwittingly trailed to Adrien at the thought. Sitting around doing nothing, smiling as Lila strung Alya along with some bull-faced lie..

“Are you sure this is going to be enough?” Ivan suddenly asked, bringing Nino from his thoughts.

“What do you mean?” 

Ivan frowned, only continuing when Mylene placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “For Marinette. We did all of that stuff to her.. Are you sure outing Lila ourselves is going to be enough for her to forgive us?”

The image of her running into his arms after his apology flicked through his mind, how she looked so happy afterwards. 

Nino couldn’t help glanced back at Marinette’s usual table. Her and Felix were out today, but Luka and the others were still there.

To his surprise, Luka caught his eye, throwing him a smile and a thumbs up.

“Yeah.” He said, feeling the guitarist’s smile spread onto his own features as he turned back to Ivan. “We can never do enough for Marinette to make up for turning on her, but I can guarantee she’ll forgive us anyway.”

That’s just how she is, and it only makes him more determined to bring Lila down once and for all.

~~~~~~~

Adrien smiled as bright as he could to mask his simmering rage. Three days. It’s been _three days_ , and Ladybug _still_ hasn’t contacted him. She’s just being stubborn now! How hard is it to apologize and admit that his opinions as her partner matter?

He shifted in his seat, nodding along to whatever over-dramatized tale Lila was rambling on about. What were they even doing without him there? How long did she expect to hold out before crawling back to him? They were Ladybug and Chat Noir, after all. The way they balanced each other out, she wouldn’t be able to last without him forever. Bouclier simply wasn’t enough to fulfill the special dynamic he and Ladybug had. 

“That’s the third time this week.” Alya muttered, staring at something _other_ than Lila for once.

Curious, Adrien followed her gaze. His eyes landed on Nino, who was sitting a few tables away from them.

Ah. He was a problem too. Instead of seeing reason, Nino was deciding to start some sort of revolution against Lila. Adrien would be lying if he said he wasn’t annoyed. Marinette already tried to go against her! They all knew how that worked out. Honestly, why would Nino think he would be any different?

“I’m sure he’s just catching up with friends.” Lila spoke up, voice smooth and comforting. “He’ll be back before you know it.” 

Her sweet smile seemed to sharpen during the last phrase. Adrien knew it was more of a threat than a friendly hope. 

Alya hummed, oblivious the brunette’s true intentions. “If you say so.” 

Adrien shook his head. This was all going to blow up in their faces, and he would get blamed for it. All because _somebody_ didn’t listen when they had the chance.

He glanced over his shoulder at Marinette’s table, irritation wriggling through the back of his mind when he realized she wasn’t there, and neither was Felix. Of course the destructive pair would wander off together. They practically refused to be apart in any way after that confession a few days ago.

Kagami and the others were at the table, though, making sure to give him their hardest glares when they noticed his gaze.

Adrien sighed, turning his attention back to Lila and Alya, who were discussing their next hang out. 

“I’d love to hang out with you after school, Alya, but..” Lila looked down at the table with a forlorn expression. “I promised my mother I would help her with the diplomatic speech she’s giving to the President of France tomorrow. I always write some of her main points for her.” 

Alya gasped, eyes twinkling with delight. “Of course! We can work out schedules tomorrow. I hope your Mom’s speech goes over okay.”

Lila smiled, her gaze flicking to Nino once again. “Thanks. Something tells me the speech is going to make a difference.”

Adrien delved back into his previous thoughts, not bothering to decipher Lila’s subtle messages today. They were probably all talk, anyway.

~~~~~~

The class bell erupted through the halls, signifying that the last class of the day was over. Sighs of relief and exhaustion filled the classroom as students stood from their seats to begin gathering their books. One girl in particular already had her things together, ready to walk out of the room when the perfect time arose. 

“Good luck with your speech, Girl. I can’t wait to see it over the news!” Alya beamed as she swung her backpack over her shoulder. 

Lila pulled a sweet, yet apologetic smile. “Oh, I don’t know about that. It’s supposed to be a _private_ conference.” 

She looked from side to side, as if to check for eavesdroppers, before leaning closer and lowering her voice.

“So let’s keep this between us.” Lila said with a wink.

Of course, Alya reveled in the secrecy and eagerly nodded her head in agreement. 

Students started filing out of the classroom, and she noticed Nino stand up of the corner of her eye.

“Well, I better get going. Plot points are hard work, after all!” She excused, cheerfully standing up. 

Alya stood as well. “Absolutely! I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

Lila nodded with a warm smile. Tomorrow. Right.

The two girls joined the flow of their classmates and exited the classroom. Lila made sure Alya was completely engrossed in her Ladyblog before stepping to the side and leaning against the wall. There was still someone she needed to see.

As if on queue, Nino emerged from the classroom, headphones on and bag idly slung over his right shoulder. 

Her arm was looped through his in an instant, dragging him away from the crowd. “Nino! Do you have a moment?”

The DJ startled at the sudden touch, but his surprise swiftly shifted into frustration when he realized who was pulling him.

“Actually, I’d rather no-” He attempted to dodge.

“It’s only for a minute!” Lila interrupted. She wouldn’t let him off the hook so easily this time. If he thought she didn’t notice the increase of doubtful gazes directed towards her, he was sadly mistaken. This needed to be taken care of. Immediately. “I know I haven’t been that good about keeping promises, but I swear I’m doing the best I can for your premier! I actually just got in contact with a few friends, and they said they need a Cd of some of your original tracks.”

A bull-faced lie, but at least it would give her some time to come up with an excuse as to why they can’t play it. Maybe she can say he’s not old enough? Is that a thing?

Nino frowned, slipping out of her grasp and lowering his headphones. “Lila, listen.. I don’t know why you’re doing this-”

“Because you’re my friend, silly! I’d do anything to help you out.” She helpfully supplied. 

This didn’t seem to help her case, as Nino furrowed his eyebrows in frustration. “Anything to help, huh?”

Her danger senses were tingling, but Lila pressed forward. She could salvage this. “Of course! Just name it.” 

“Stop lying.”

It took a lot to hold back a scowl. How did she know he was going to say that?

“Lying?” She gasped, eyes already starting to water. “What are you talking about?”

Nino sent her a glare to her annoyance. “Cut it out. We both know what I’m talking about.”

He just wouldn’t give up, would he? Why did this school have to be so stubborn? It was easier when they all collectively shared one brain cell.

Whatever. If he wasn’t going to back down, that meant it was time to change tactics.

Lila placed a hand on her hip, cocking her head to the side with a sly smirk. “No one’s going to believe you anyway. Adrien’s not saying anything, everyone hates Marinette and Felix, and Alya’s still wrapped around my finger.”

She twirled her index finger in the air for emphasis, thoroughly enjoying the mix of shock and irritation that spread across Nino’s features towards her confession.

“We’ll have to wait and see once I tell everyone, then.” He said firmly, crossing his arms over his chest. 

_Yes, hold onto that bravado. It’ll be all you have left once I’m done._ She thought smugly.

“If you try to tell people, it’ll only make it worse for you.” Lila continued with an air of feigned sweetness to her tone. “The class might find out you’ve been bullying me just like Marinette. Or perhaps Alya will suddenly decide your relationship just isn’t working out, hm?”

The pure panic that flashed across his face was simply divine. 

“Face it. It’s much easier for you to play along like your model bestie. Why do you think he hasn’t said anything about me yet?”

Nino didn’t respond, his mouth opening and closing several times as he tried to find the right words.

Lila patted him on the shoulder and flashed a sharp grin. “I’ll let you think about it. See you in class tomorrow~” 

Just like that, she was off. If that didn’t scare his stubbornness away, then her accusations tomorrow definitely would. 

~~~~~~

Felix tugged at his tie, doing his best to soothe his nerves. All he needed to do was knock on the glass door. Simple. Knock on the door and wait for Marinette to open it so he can have a dinner with her parents and tell them that he wants to date her and maybe even have her hand in marriage one day.

Simple.

Wayzz shifted in his pocket, offering the small bit of comfort he could. Felix lightly patted his pocket as thanks and lifted his hand to knock on the door.

Before he could, however, the door swung open, revealing Sabine and Tom. 

“Felix! Come in, come in!” They urged, both sharing a bright grin as they ushered him inside. 

“Supper will be ready soon. I’ll call Marinette down.” Sabine informed, closing the door behind them and starting for the stairs.

Felix nodded, though he was a bit confused. Was Marinette still getting ready? 

_I suppose she_ is _a fashion designer._ He thought to himself. A smirk ghosted his lips as the image of her sticking out her tongue while working on her latest design flicked through his mind. 

Tom showed him up the stairs as well, directing Felix to their dining room where the table was set and ready for them. 

“It’s wonderful to see you again, Felix. Marinette was really excited about you coming over. So were we.” The man smiled warmly down at him. 

Felix offered a smile, drumming his fingertips across the back of the dining room chairs. Conversation was never one of his strong suits, especially when the person he was talking to had the power to come between him and Marinette. 

Well, no one could _really_ come between them, but Tom could definitely make it more difficult.

“Felix!” A voice cheered from the stairway.

Felix recognized it immediately, turning towards the stairs it with a warm smile.

“Marinette.” He greeted, glancing over her outfit. They’d decided to dress casually to not raise suspicion, but she still made a few changes to look better. Instead of her usual pink capris, she wore a light pink skirt that stopped short just above her knees along with a white, tucked in, half-sleeved blouse that hung loosely around the edges of her shoulders. 

“I’m assuming you made that outfit yourself?” 

If the familiar flowers lining the sleeves didn’t relay the answer, then the golden name that sparkled underneath the skirt as she walked the steps did.

“How’d you guess?” She asked with a playful smile, making a point to spin around so he could see the small, pink bow stitched to the back of the skirt as well. 

“Phenomenal as always. You look great.” He complimented, brushing a stray hair behind her ears. The light pink headband she decided to wear gave a satisfying touch to the design.

Marinette blushed a delightful pink, giving him another one of her blinding smiles.

“Awwwww” Her parents suddenly cooed next to them. 

That was when Felix blushed too, awkwardly stepping away from Marinette. Should he try to get used to this? They were supposed to be a couple now. No doubt her parents would want to see more of them being together after tonight. 

A giggle pulled him from his thoughts, and Felix glanced down to see Marinette staring up at him with a knowing look. 

“Let’s go to the dining room. I’m starving.” She suggested, subtly giving Felix’s hand a loving squeeze before moving past him to the dining room.

Naturally, Felix followed her, along with her parents. Sabine hovered around the kitchen area as she finished up the meals while Tom sat at the head of the table to wait with him and Marinette.

Once the cooking was finished, Sabine set the dishes along the middle of the table for everyone to reach. The family didn’t hesitate to dig in, passing dishes and pouring drinks. Felix rather enjoyed the atmosphere the dinner provided. He could always count on Marinette’s family to be warm and inviting towards him and others. It made him all the more certain that he wanted to be a part of it.

“So..” Felix began, clearing his throat as he spared a nervous glance to Marinette. 

She gave him a thumbs up from under the table in response. 

He turned his eyes to her parents with a wavering smile. “I’ve- uhm -Marinette and I have known each other for a few months now and- well -I was wondering- that is, if it’s alright with you- that we could- that I-”

Felix had gotten about half way through his horrible request when the Dupain-Chengs graciously interrupted.

“Yes!” 

Felix blinked in surprise. 

“Yes?”

“Of course you can marry our daughter!” Tom said with a hearty grin.

“ _What_?” Marinette and Felix asked in unison. He could feel the heat rush to his cheeks, and a glance at Marinette revealed her face to be just as red. Not that he _minded_ that suggestion..

“Papa, no!” Marinette groaned, being the first to recover. “He just wanted to ask if we could date.”

“Oh. Well, that’s fine too.” Sabine shrugged. 

“If you don’t mind my asking, How did you know I was going to ask about that?” Felix spoke up, finally getting over the previous assumption.

A coy smile curled onto the woman’s lips, matching the mischievous gleam in her eye as she said, “A mother knows. Plus, you two are too obvious to miss. The way you looked at her and how she would talk about you..”

Sabine patted Tom’s arm lovingly. 

“We knew it was only a matter of time before you got together.” 

Felix couldn’t help smiling at the couple. 

“So does this mean I’m going to have to put the wedding cake on hold?” 

“Papa!”

~~~~~~

Marinette blew out a tired sigh as she stepped outside into the night air. She knew her parents were overbearing, but that was a bit much even for her. At least they agreed to let them date. 

“I think that went well.” Felix commented as he joined her outside. 

She chuckled, slipping her hand into his. “So do I. Let’s just hope it’s the same with your parents tomorrow night.” 

He let out a soft laugh, bringing her knuckles to his lips in a gentle kiss. “Considering Mother still hasn’t stopped talking about you, It should be just fine.”

A blush bloomed on her cheeks for what felt like the millionth time that evening. “She likes me that much?” 

Felix’s eyes met hers, filled with such warmth that her breath caught in her throat. It reminded her of what her Maman had said during supper, about the way he looked at her. 

“I don’t know how anyone couldn’t.” The words were easy on his lips, sweet, and meant everything to her.

Marinette chuckled and shook her head to cover up how flustered she truly was. 

“You’re such a flirt. You know that?” 

His fingers squeezed around hers. “Are you saying you don’t enjoy the compliments?”

She rolled her eyes in response, leaning forward to peck his cheek. “I’m gonna go inside to get ready for patrol.”

“That wasn’t a no.”

Marinette smiled. They both knew she wasn’t going to give an answer.

“Goodnight, Felix.”

“See you in ten.”

~~~~~~

Master Fu peeked out his bedroom window, watching Ladybug and Bouclier pass by on their nightly patrol. No Chat Noir tonight. Again.

He sighed, letting the curtain fall back over the window. What was that now? Four nights? How long was Adrien going to avoid his duties?

“I’m afraid I have chosen the wrong wielder..” He lamented to..well.. No one now. Master Fu hadn’t fully adjusted to losing Wayzz yet, despite it having been around two weeks now. Perhaps he should find another kwami to talk with..

Either way that wasn’t important now. He needed to find a solution to this recent problem. Adrien abandoning Marinette as a civilian was bad enough, but now he was failing her with his hero duties as well. If this kept up, he would have to take the ring, but who would wear it then?

The obvious choice was Felix. He’d proven several times over that he was a fit partner for Ladybug. However, they also knew each other’s identities, which could hinder their focus during an attack.

His stroked his beard in thought. Things were going downhill fast, but Marinette hadn’t come to him yet. That meant she must have the situation under control somehow. He should start looking for a new cat in the meantime. Chat Noir was undoubtedly going to self-destruct. It was only a matter of time. If they were lucky, they could catch him before something disastrous happens.

For now, though, he waits.


	21. Chapter 21

Marinette rested her head on Felix’s shoulder as she idly watched the other students fill the classroom. More and More people were starting to wave to her as they walked in. Mylene, Juleka, Nathanial, Ivan.. it was nice. Nino seemed to be keeping his promise quite well, and she couldn’t be more proud.

Her gaze darkened when Lila strolled into the room, sliding into the seat next to Alya like she owned the place. 

She felt Felix’s hand rub her shoulder, and Marinette chuckled towards his attempt to soothe her. Nevertheless, it worked, especially when he pressed a kiss to her hair. He always knew how to cheer her up.

Next came Nino, who appeared to look at anything _but_ Lila as he took the seat next to Mylene. 

Odd.. Nino isn’t exactly one for confrontation, but to completely avoid Lila like that is strange. She hoped everything was alright.

“So~ How did the speech go?” Alya pressed, eyes practically sparkling. 

Lila chuckled, raising her chin slightly with pride. “Oh, it went great. My speech had the president in tears.”

Marinette rolled her eyes and felt more than heard a light scoff from Felix. 

“So, now that I have free time,” Lila continued, “Why don’t we hang out today? You, me, Nino, and Adrien! It’ll be so much fun!” 

“I would love too!” Alya grinned, but the smile faded when she glanced back at Nino, disdain practically dripping from her tone as she added, “But I’m sure Nino won’t be up for it.”

A frown of disappointment tugged at the corner of Marinette’s lips. Weren’t they supposed to be a couple? Despite Alya turning on her “Best Friend”, she assumed the redhead would have enough decency to put some trust in the main she claimed to love.

Before Nino could reply, Lila jumped in. “Oh, I’m sure Nino would love to hang out together! Right, Nino?”

The way Lila turned to Nino- that expectant look and triumphant smile -didn’t sit well with Marinette. The brunette seemed confident he would agree, meaning something definitely happened between them. Now all she had to do was figure out what that was.

Nino narrowed his eyes at Lila, and Marinette was surprised to see him maintain eye contact as he said, “Can’t. Busy.”

Bold move. She was officially impressed.

A scowl flickered across Lila’s expression before she bowed her head and let her shoulders sag.

“Oh.. I understand.” The liar muttered, lips quivering and eyes brimming with tears. 

Alya sent her boyfriend a sharp glare. “Nino, quit being a jerk!”

Nino flinched at the sudden raise of voice, and began sputtering a mix of an apology and defense. Marinette didn’t blame him. Alya was a force to be reckoned with when she was protecting her friends, whether the action was justified or not.

“There’s no need to yell.” A voice cut in, lined with agitation.

To say Marinette was shocked when Mylene spoke up was an understatement. Not only was she participating in an argument, but she was actually going _against_ Lila. Well, _defending Nino_ , but that’s the same thing at this point, right?

Alya and Lila both looked up in surprise, Nino simply offering Mylene a grateful smile.

Unfortunately, Alya recovered all too quickly, throwing a half hearted glare in Mylene’s direction. “He’s hurting Lila’s feelings. There’s no reason for him to be so rude.”

“All he said was that he was busy. How is that rude?” Now it was Ivan that spoke up, and Marinette held her breath as Juleka and Nathaniel somewhat nodded their heads in agreement. They.. they were ganging up? On _Alya_ and _Lila_?? Had Nino really talked to that many people already?

Alya huffed towards the new opposer and crossed her arms. Lila, on the other hand, curled in on herself even more, though Marinette still caught a glimpse of her scowl. 

_Being backed into a corner isn’t all that fun, is it?_

“He _could_ have said it nicer.” 

Marinette barely contained her groan. He just _had_ to speak up didn’t he?

The class turned to the “Golden, Sunshine Child” in the front row.

“ _Thank_ you, Adrien.” Alya smiled, gesturing to the blonde as if he had just won the entire argument with that statement. 

She didn’t miss how his eyes flicked to Nino’s, before coming to her.

Felix’s grip tightened. 

“What, is he supposed to give her flowers and a handwritten apology note?” Her boyfriend retorted. She didn’t have to see him to know he was glaring at Adrien specifically.

Alya and Adrien both went to snap back when Lila finally spoke up again.

“Guys, please! It’s really not worth fighting over.” She sniffled, clasping her hands in front of her chest with pleading eyes. “Honestly, if Nino.. if Nino doesn’t like me.. Then I won’t force him to talk to me. I don’t want this to end up like another Marinette situation.” 

Marinette sat up with a growl when her name was mentioned. If it hadn’t been for Mlle. Bustier walking in at that time, she would have been more than willing to go an hour long rant now that someone might actually listen. 

~~~~~~

The tension hung thick in the air as the teacher started the lesson, obliviously prattling on about the historical facts of the day. Alya glared at her classmates, while Lila curled into the redhead’s side to hide her deepening scowl. Now Mylene and Ivan were starting to turn against her? How many people had that brat talked to already? She was going to have to escalate the claims. 

The end of class rolled around, though everyone was still on the edge of their seats from the previous argument. That was fine. She could use that.

Lila stood up as the other students gathered their things and began exiting the room. She took her time, double checking to make sure she had everything, re-reading a few of her notes, even “accidentally” dropping some pens. Timing was key for these sort of things.

She walked down the classroom steps as Nino stepped out of his desk on the other side. A few polite “excuse me”s and “pardon me”s got her to the front within seconds, and she conveniently exited the room right when Nino got to the door. 

It didn’t take much. Stretch her ankle out slightly as the DJ moved forwards. Their legs didn’t touch, but it was close enough. Not to mention, all eyes would be on her by the time she was on the ground anyway.

Lila let out a yelp, plunging onto the ground in an extremely unflattering way. She hissed with feigned pain, twisting around to rub her ankle and throwing Nino a hurt look. 

“Nino, how could you trip me like that?” She whimpered, hiding a smile as the class gasped and fawned over her.

“Oh, you poor thing! Are you alright?” Rose asked, sympathy reflecting on her features as she and Alya rushed to her side. She supposed this would do for now.

“B-but I didn’t-” Nino tried to interject.

Alya’s sharp glare silenced him immediately. Wonderful.

“Whatever, Nino. Let’s get you to the nurse’s office, Lila.” 

Lila was tickled with pleasure at the difference of tone, how the cold and harsh words towards her boyfriend changed to silky smooth when spoken to her. 

“No, no. I’m sure Rose will be enough.” Lila insisted, throwing in a few winces and gasps along the way. Nino hadn’t quite learned his lesson yet. A few more rants and interrogations from Alya should scare him back to her side.

Her grin grew harder to contain as her gaze flicked to the other students. They crowded around them, wrapped in her lies as much as everyone else and staring right at-

Wait. 

Lila raised an eyebrow.

They weren’t staring at Nino. They were staring at her. Mylene and the others were more expected since they ate lunch with Nino the other day, but now Alex was eyeing her. And Max was nervously trying to avoid the confrontation in general. Chloe and Sabrine were gone. The only people who seemed worried for her was Kim, Rose, and Alya..

 _What is going on?_ She mentally scowled. How could these idiots be swayed quickly? They’d never doubted her before. What made Nino so different from Marinette?

The ravenette came down the steps at that time, hand entwined with Felix’s and a smirk on her lips.

She _knew_! She knew this was going to happen!

Lila growled as Rose carried her away, playing it off as pain. This is ridiculous! Months! _Months_ she’s kept a firm grip on this class. Even when Marinette went against her, even when Felix came onto the scene. So why was it all crumbling to pieces _now_?!

“Thanks.” She said to Rose through gritted teeth, sitting in one of the waiting chairs to the nurse’s office.

“It’s not a problem~” Rose sang, perky as ever. “Do you need anything else?” 

Despite the sweet request, Lila’s blood boiled. The whole _class_ should be asking if she needed something, not just Rose.

“W-well, if you would be so kin-” The plea died on her lips when a flicker of purple caught her eye.

An akuma, resting patiently on the window sill next to them. 

Her smile curled into a smile.

“Actually, you’ve done plenty. Thank you so much!” Lila practically pushed Rose towards the hallway. 

Rose hesitated, glancing back at her with concern. “O-oh. I mean, if you’re sure-”

“I’m sure, I’m sure!” She insisted. Just hurry up and leave already!

As soon as the blonde was out of sight, Lila whirled around to face the butterfly. It’d started fluttering off towards the direction of the class, no doubt sensing darker emotions in that area.

“Not so fast.” Lila muttered to herself, lunging at the insect. 

She snatched it out of the air and closed her eyes, channeling as much hatred as she could. Felix.. Nino.. _Marinette_.

The butterfly sunk into her bracelet, creating a light, purple outline across her face.

_Poisseuse, I am Hawkmoth. You’re classmates have turned against-_

“Yeah, yeah. Betrayal, powers, miraculous- just get on with it already. They won’t be standing in a group for long!” 

The voice in her mind paused, and she caught the slight surprise humming over the bond.

_..Very well. Don’t disappoint me._

A scoff escaped her lips before letting the black liquid bubbled over her. 

As if _she’d_ be the disappointment here.

~~~~~~

“Turning her down this morning wasn’t enough, was it? You had to go and humiliate her too!” Alya seethed, jabbing an accusing finger into Nino’s chest.

“I didn’t trip her!” He insisted, cowering beneath his girlfriend’s glare.

“Their feet didn’t even touch!” Marinette cut in, hands on her hips. Lila may have gotten away with isolating _her_ , but she’d be darned if she let Nino succumb to the same fate. “Lila fell forward on her own!”

“Like I’ll take _your_ word for it!” Alya snarled, rounding on her in an instant.

“But I was right behind Nino.” Mylene said, coming to both of their defenses. “Lila was the one that cut in front of us.”

Alya huffed. “Oh so it’s _Lila’s_ fault she got tripped?”

“Guys, I’m sure Lila wouldn’t want us arguing like this.” Rose spoke up tentatively as she rejoined the group.

“ _If_ Lila tripped, it was on her own. Nino didn’t trip her.” Juleka mumbled, though everyone still heard her clearly.

Rose frowned at her girlfriend, looking betrayed. “Juleka?”

The goth girl fumbled a bit, but before she could respond, something hit her in the chest, plastering her to the wall with a pink-colored substance.

“So you don’t believe me anymore?” 

The class jerked in surprise, turning to see a girl dressed in pinks and purples. It was obvious who it was.

“Lila!” 

The akuma turned to Alya with a scowl. Her hair had turned a deep purple, tipped with the same pink goo that coated her forearms. A purple leather jacket replaced her orange sweater, and purple leggings clung to her legs, tucked into her fuchsia boots. Everything about her appearance had changed.

Everything except for her eyes. Eyes that currently held a glare as sharp as daggers as the akuma shifted her attention to the boy standing behind Alya.

“ _Nino_.” She snarled, aiming her right wrist at the DJ. “You’re gonna stick with me this time.”

The same pink substance shot from her band of slime, gluing Nino to the wall like Juleka.

“And I’m never letting you _go_!” 

The situation finally seemed to settle amongst the class, because they all scattered in a panic, some screaming and others calling for help.

Lila was so busy taking care of the other students that she didn’t notice Adrien’s absence, nor did she see Felix and Marinette slip back into the classroom and close the door.

~~~~~~

Adrien ducked into the boy’s bathroom and pressed up against the door. Nino and Marinette just couldn’t listen to him, could they? They just _had_ to go against Lila for the “greater good”. 

“I hope they’re happy with themselves.” He grumbled.

Plagg floated up next to him, munching lazily on his cheese. “I hope so, too. They’re finally bringing the class to it’s senses.”

Adrien blinked at him.

“Plagg, everyone’s getting akumatized!”

The miniature god only hummed with disinterested. “Not like they weren’t going to anyway with that liar prowling around.”

Adrien furrowed his eyebrows, not believing his ears. “Lila isn’t the problem! Her harmless!”

Faint screams echoed from the other side of the door.

“You’re right. She sounds _so_ harmless.” Plagg said sarcastically.

“If they had just _let her be_ -”

“Just transform already.” The kwami cut him off. “Ladybug needs our help.”

Adrien scrunched up his nose in annoyance. The spotted heroine still hasn’t apologized to him yet, but he’ll have to set that aside for now. 

“Plagg, claws out!” 

-

Chat Noir arrived on the scene to find Ladybug and Bouclier already fighting Lila. 

His tail twitched with agitation. How long had he been gone? Five minutes? Yet Ladybug _and_ Bouclier were already here. Did they come together?

Ladybug used her yo-yo to advance on Lila and push her towards the exit of the school. When the akuma would shoot at them, she and Bouclier would twist around, letting his shield protect them. How did they manage to work together even _better_ now?!

The heroes finally noticed his presence after spinning around the second time. 

“Finally decide to do your job?” Bouclier asked flatly, getting a snort from Ladybug.

Chat growled, ears flicking back against him hair. So they’re _laughing_ at him now?

He lunged into battle, deflecting the blasts and helping the offense. With the extra hand, they managed to lead Lila outside, where she retreated to the rooftops.

“She calls herself ‘Poisseuse’. Her slime is like glue so don’t touch it, or get hit with it. If you do, it’s game over until I cast the miraculous cure.” Ladybug explained as they pursued the akuma.

“I know what I’m doing.” Chat snapped back. He wasn’t stupid. He knew how things worked. 

_Bet she didn’t explain things to Bouclier like he was a five year old._

Ladybug’s swing faltered, and she raised an eyebrow. “Chat, I was just filling you i-”

She was cut off by Bouclier yanking her to the side, narrowly avoiding the slime that zipped passed. 

“Stay focused.” The turtle-themed hero mumbled, holding Ladybug too close for Chat’s liking.

“Oh, so you’re in charge now?” He bit back.

Ladybug groaned. “Chat, _please_ -”

They all scattered when another blast came their way, each ducking behind a separate chimney. Poisseuse may have been on the run, but she was quick. She shot people in the streets, shot back at them, and managed to outrun them as well. 

“We’re never gonna catch her this way..” Ladybug muttered a few feet next to him.

“And we can’t get close enough to get the akumatized item on her wrist.” Bouclier added, chancing a glance around the chimney. 

Chat Noir scoffed. They didn’t need him to point that out.

“Lucky Charm!” Ladybug suddenly called, throwing her yo-yo into the air. 

A small gong appeared in the flurry of ladybugs and fell into her hands.

She smirked. 

“Think you two can hold her off for a while?” 

Chat huffed. Let’s not pretend she was actually talking to _both_ of them anymore. 

Bouclier simply shared her smirk. “What are you gonna do?”

Ladybug’s eyes gleamed with mischief as she replied, “Give her a taste of her old medicine.” 

~~~~~~

“Wayhem.”

The Brunet didn’t respond, knitting his brows together as he continued to pick away at the pink substance.

“Wayhem, it’s not going to work.”

Still no acknowledgement. 

“Wayhem!” 

The ruler snapped in half, sticking into the pink substance as well. 

Wayhem sighed and finally met the concerned gaze of Aurore, who was currently stuck to the floor with whatever it was that Lila shot her with.

“There’s gotta be _something_ we can use to get you out!” He persisted, scanning the library for another shard or lengthy object.

“Honestly, Wayhem, I’m _fine_. It doesn’t even hurt!” At Wayhem’s skeptical gaze, she continued. “Besides, Ladybug’s already on the scene. She’ll save the day, and I’ll be out of here in no time.”

A frown tugged at the corner of Wayhem’s lips. 

“.. I’m gonna go find something more durable.” He said, before darting out of the room. He knew she was rolling her eyes and muttering about his stubbornness, but he couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. 

Wayhem jolted back when he nearly collided with a red spotted figure, half expecting to be swallowed by pink slime as well.

Thankfully, he recognized the girl as Ladybug, savior of Paris.

“Ladybug! Is the akuma defeated?”

She gave him an apologetic look, fiddling with a small, black box in her hand. “No, sorry. I need your help.”

His eyes had to have widened twice their size. 

“Wait, _my_ help? I-I mean, sure, but..” But how could he do anything?

Her shoulders sagged slightly in relief, and she extended the box to him. “Wayhem Lafontaine, will you take the fox miraculous of illusion and help me in the fight against Hawkmoth?”

He gasped in disbelief, tentatively taking the box. “O-of course. Yes, I-”

As soon as the box flipped open, a bright, orange orb appeared above a Fox tailed necklace, effectively cutting off his sentence. 

Wayhem watched with awe as the orb transformed into a small, orange, fox-like creature. It eyed him for a moment, the purple gaze a mix of calculating and.. and a bit sad.

“Name’s Trixx. Pleasure to meet ya.” The creature greeted. “I’m your kwami. I give you the power to create any illusion you want, but you can only use your power once. After you activate it, you have five minutes before you detransform.”

Wayhem nodded dumbly, clipping the jewel around his neck. Then he furrowed his eyebrows, confused.

“Did you say fox miraculous? Isn’t that the one for Rena Rouge?”

Ladybug winced at the name, obviously a sore subject for her. 

“Rena is retired. Are you still up for the challenge?”

Though curious about the previous fox, he knew there wasn’t much time for answers. Ladybug would tell him what he needed to know and when.

“I’m ready.”

Trixx and Ladybug exchanged a look of what he assumed to be satisfaction, before the kwami spoke up again.

“Just say ‘let’s pounce’, and we’re good to go.”

Wayhem drew in a deep breath. 

“Trixx, let’s pounce!”

~~~~~~

Chat grit his teeth as he ducked behind _another_ chimney. He didn’t expect her slime to be able to break through the cement after so many tries.

Nevertheless, he now found himself leaping from roof to roof, trying to keep Poisseuse occupied until Ladybug came back. Where was she anyway? What did she mean when she said “giving her a taste of her old medicine”?

His grip tightened on his baton when he caught a glimpse of Bouclier. Why did _he_ seem to know exactly what she was doing? Did they have a secret code he wasn’t in on? Within the _four days_ of being let alone?

“Chat, on your left!” Bouclier yelled, turning Chat’s attention back to the akuma. He’d slowed down during his wonderings, letting her catch up to him. 

She raised her wrist with a crooked grin, and Chat thought he was done for.

That is, until a blur of red and a familiar yo-yo string wrapped around Poisseuse’s forearm. Before the akuma could react, Ladybug yanked on the chord, flinging her a few rooftops away.

“Took you long enough.” Chat grumbled under his breath.

Ladybug gave him a look. A look that softened immediately when Bouclier came to her side. It made Chat sick.

“What’s the plan?” The blonde asked dutifully. Talk about being a kiss up.

“We’re going to scatter again to hide, and on my signal, Kistune-”

“ _Kitsune_?” Chat interrupted, raising an eyebrow. 

The two turned to him with equally flat expressions.

“The new fox.”

 _Another_ new hero? They _better_ not be like Bouclier. And what happened to the old fox?

“Anyway, we hide, I give the signal, and Kitsune throws out an illusion that a bunch of heroes are running in the other direction. While she’s distracted, we’re gonna break the item. Ready?”

“Ready.” Bouclier replied, lightly grabbing Ladybug’s shoulder. “Be careful.”

Chat Noir hunched his shoulders when Ladybug smiled.

“You too.”

_What._

What was that?!

Ladybug’s _never_ liked touch. The entirety of their partnership, she’s _always_ pushed away from him when he got too close. So what the heck was _this_?! What did she see in this jerk that she’d be willing to break up their partnership so easily?

He curled his hands into fists as they split up. She thinks he’s so competent? That Bouclier is so much more important than _Chat Noir_? Her _other half_?

The silver baton extended in front of him on command for a boost, _somehow_ managing to land right in front of Bouclier’s feet.

Bouclier stumbled forward, rolling along the rooftop. 

_See how competent he is now, “Bugaboo”._ He thought with a twitch of a smile.

Chat Noir flinched when goop flew passed his face, and he turned just in time to see the slime stick Bouclier’s wrist to the ground. 

Oops.

A flute song pierce the air.

Chat watched Bouclier’s figure fade into the background, while an illusionary hero clone stood in his place. 

Crap, he was supposed to be hiding.

The black cat slunk behind a large, metal vent. Old heroes sprouted around him. Ladybug, Bouclier, himself, Rena Rouge, Bumblebee- it was a handful. 

Poisseuse’s furious cry filled the air, signalling that it was Chat’s turn.

He summoned his Cataclysm and sprung from the air vent.

As usual, Ladybug’s plan worked like a charm. The akuma was distracted, Chat’s Cataclysm broke the bracelet instantly, and before they knew it, Ladybug was catching the akuma and casting the miraculous cure.

“Pound it.” He said half-heartedly, holding out his fist from routine more than anything.

To his irritation, Ladybug only crossed her arms and fixed him with a stern look. “What was that?”

Chat narrowed his eyes, glancing to Bouclier. He shared her expression, agitated and fed up.

“What was what?”

“That!” She gestured to the spot Bouclier had been stuck to. “Your tripping Bouclier nearly cost us the akuma today!”

A scowl curled onto his lips. “I can’t guess where my baton goes!”

“You literally can!” Ladybug shouted in frustration. “That’s exactly how the baton works!”

Chat Noir opened his mouth to defend himself when a beeping reached his ears, one that didn’t come from his ring. 

A boy jumped out from a chimney. He was covered in a tannish, orang suit with a white stripe trailing from the back of his legs, through the abdomen, to the top of his shoulders. Two fox ears were nestled in his dark brown hair, which was tipped white. 

“Uh.. Ladybug?” He asked, pointing to his fox-tailed necklace. His claw, which extended slightly from the black elbow gloves, tapped the bottom of the necklace, revealing a section that was dimmed. His time was running out.

 _So that’s Kitsune._ Chat thought, ears twitching with interest.

“I’m not sure how much longer I have..” The newbie trailed off, his black boots shifting on the roof uncomfortably and his tan, white tipped tail swishing side to side.

Ladybug sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. 

“This isn’t over.” She said to him, before swinging away and beckoning Kitsune to follow.

Chat glared after them, then growled when he noticed Bouclier going with them as well.

No. He supposed it _wasn’t_ over.


	22. Chapter 22

Ladybug landed in an alleyway near the school, hearing Bouclier and Kitsune behind her. 

The necklace beeped one last time before covering the fox hero in a shimmering, orange light and leaving a starstruck Wayhem in its place.

Ladybug smirked, sparing a glance to Bouclier to gawk a reaction. To his credit, he put on an impressive mask of indifference. She, of course, could still tell the blonde was shocked.

“Thanks for trusting me, Ladybug.” Wayhem smiled as he handed her the miraculous.

“Thank you for helping. Your improvisation really saved us back there.” She complimented, slipping the necklace back into the black box.

The brunette gave a bashful look. “J-Just followed orders.” He then straightened. “I’ve got to get back to school to check on Aurore, but you can count on me anytime!” 

He yelled the last part with a wave as he ran out of the alleyway, and Marinette chuckled. Wayhem was going to make a great asset to the team. They all would.

“I don’t know why I’m surprised.” Bouclier sighed, bringing her from her thoughts.

Ladybug turned to him with a wry grin. “Neither do I. It should have been obvious.” 

Bouclier shook his head and checked around the corner to make sure Wayhem was out of sight before dropping his transformation. 

“We should get back though. People are going to get suspicious.”

Marinette dropped her transformation as well, but grabbed his arm before he could leave. 

“Wait! I.. I actually want to go visit someone first.” She said, glancing in the opposite direction of the school.

Felix stared at her for a moment, then smirked, almost looking relieved. He knew what she was talking about.

“Glad you finally came around.” 

Marinette rolled her eyes with a smile. “Yeah, Yeah. Come on. WE need to hurry.”

With one last scan of the streets, Felix and Marinette darted out of the alleyway, heading down the road to Master Fu’s massage parlor.

~~~~~~

Felix opened the door to the massage parlor, letting Marinette pass before following her inside. He couldn’t help breathing a sigh of relief as they walked up the first set of stairs to Master Fu’s room. Chat Noir had been a growing concern for a while now. He was glad that she was finally taking steps forward to get the cat off of the team. Paris just wasn’t as safe with him around throwing hissy fits, and neither were they. 

Marinette stopped in front of the door to his office, tugging on her pigtails as she shifted from foot to foot.

“I don’t know, Felix. What if I’m overreacting? What if he really did trip you on accident, and we’re taking excessive measures?”

Felix smiled, pulling her hands away from her hair. Was it bad to say that he found her panic endearing?

“Nette, whether Chat Noir tripped me on purpose, he still skipped patrol because he was told no. He’s still pushing his feelings onto you despite your rejections, and we both know that he did trip me on purpose, anyway. Things like this will only escalate.” He cupped her cheek and gently caressed it with his thumb. “We need to take precautions before someone gets hurt.” 

_Before *you* get hurt._ Because if Chat Noir ever managed to hurt Marinette, neither Miraculous Ladybug or Cataclysm or any other miraculous power would be able to save him from Felix.

The ravenette heaved a sigh, leaning into his touch. “Okay.. okay, you’re right.”

Felix chuckled and gave her a peck on the forehead. “Of course I am. Now go talk to Master Fu.”

Marinette snorted, nudging him in the side before turning and knocking on the door.

It opened after a few minutes to reveal a smiling Master Fu. 

“Ladybug, Bouclier, please come in.” He greeted, stepping to the side and gesturing for them to enter. 

Marinette and Felix walked inside as asked and sat down on the floor in front of the coffee table. Felix noted the freshly made tea on the stove, along with the three cups already set on the table.

“You knew we were coming.” He denotes.

Master Fu nodded, expression drooping slightly as he picked up the tea kettle.

“Then you know why we’re here.” Marinette adds, holding up her cup and thanking him for the tea.

“I’m assuming Chat Noir.” The old man states. 

The two nod.

“He hasn’t exactly been the ideal partner.” She confirms, awkwardly rubbing her arm.

Master Fu sighs and rubs his eyes. The poor man looks exhausted.

“Perhaps you should lie down, Master.” Wayzz suddenly spoke up, flying out of Felix’s pocket. 

Tikki flew out of Marinette’s purse next, sharing a concerned expression.

Master Fu smiled, but shook his head.

“I am fine, Wayzz.” He assured, patting the green kwami on the head. “We have more pressing matters to deal with.”

Marinette took the opportunity to continue. “I’m sure you know, but a few nights ago, Chat asked me to take Bouclier off the team because he was ‘coming between us’. When I told him no, he stormed off and hasn’t come to patrol since. He showed up at the akuma battle today, but half way through, Chat tripped Felix and got him trapped. It almost cost us the battle.”

Master Fu took on a grim expression. “I knew he was slipping, but I wasn’t aware of how far out of hand his recklessness has become.” 

He sighed again, before looking Marinette straight in the eyes with a burning seriousness. “Chat Noir has let his emotions guide him down a dark path. From what I’ve witnessed and what you’ve told me, I believe it is time to find a new Chat noir.”

Felix felt the tension drain from his shoulders. He hadn’t been Boucleir for long, but it would be nice to not have to worry about something other than an akuma during a fight. 

“No.”

Master Fu and Felix both turned to Marinette with wide eyes. No? What did she mean no?

“I-I do want.. well.. Chat Noir doesn’t deserve a miraculous. Not anymore.” She attempted to clarify. “But I don’t want to find a new Chat Noir.”

Master Fu furrowed his eyebrows. “Then what do you want to do?”

That was a good question. Felix hadn’t been told about this plan yet.

A smile crept across Marinette’s lips, one she always wore right before one of her “Miraculous” plans came together. “I want to put together a miraculous team.”

Oh, he knew where this was going.

Master Fu hummed, stroking his beard with a thoughtful expression. “Go on.”

“First off, Hawkmoth wants the Cat and Ladybug miraculous. So putting them both out at the same time isn’t a good idea. _However_ , despite how well Felix and I work together-” She sent Felix a loving smile “-we can’t defeat akumas by ourselves. That’s why I want to put a small team of miraculous users together instead. That way we can have more people on the look out for akumas and Hawkmoth’s lair, _and_ if Hawkmoth somehow beats us, he only gets one miraculous.” 

Felix straightened slightly with pride. He should have known she had everything planned out already. That’s his girl.

Master Fu seemed impressed as well, holding a small, pleased smile. “You’ve put a lot of thought into this.”

Marinette nodded. “I figure we’ll start small. I’ll choose the team- with your permission, of course -and we can bring in one person at a time for each akuma fight. That way, if- _when_ Chat Noir gets his miraculous taken away, the team will be ready to step up.”

“Chat Noir won’t even know he’s being replaced, which reduces the amount of destruction he might cause when the time comes.” Master Fu finished with an air or pride.

Marinette smiled in reply, confirming his statement. 

“Very well, Ladybug. You have my permission to go through with this plan. I trust you to choose your team wisely.”

She breathed a sigh of relief. “Believe me, I will. In fact,” Marinette spared Felix a mischievous glance, “I think I already have a team in mind.”

Felix grimaced. After seeing Wayhem as Kitsune today, he had a feeling he knew what team she was talking about.

~~~~~~

Adrien grumbled to himself as he sat down in class. Ladybug just couldn’t get off of his back, could she? It wasn’t enough that she chose Bouclier over him. She had to chew him out in broad daylight, too? Yes, the trip was a mistake, but that didn’t mean Bouclier deserved it any _less_. He saw all of those crude looks! He knows Bouclier looks down on him, and if Ladybug thinks he’s just going to take that, then she’s got another thing coming. He refuses to let Bouclier continue to create a gap between him and his Lady!

“A _new fox_?!” A voice screeched, drawing Adrien’s attention to the redhead behind him.

Alya stared down at her phone with a mix of disbelief and horror. “How- What- When did this happen?!”

Ah, yes. _Another_ new hero Ladybug’s brought into the mix. What was his name again? Kitsune? He better be a one time thing. Unlike _someone_ who seemed bent on getting on his nerves.

“Finally. I thought she was never going to bring the new hero onto the scene.” Lila jumped in with a knowing tone.

Alya tore her gave from the device to glare at Lila. “You _knew_ about this?”

The brunette faltered slightly, but continued. “Well, of course. I’m helping her pick out the new heroes, remember?”

“B-but- I- Why! Why is she replacing them!”Alya nearly yelled in exasperation, flailing her arms around. Why was she so affected by it?

Lila pulled an apologetic expression. “Oh~, sorry Alya. Only super heroes can know about it. You know how it is.”

“BUT _I’M_ -” Alya clamped a hand over her mouth to avoid finishing the sentence. She then tentatively glanced around the room, before mumbling, “I’m a reporter for superheroes. S-Shouldn’t that count?”

Lila blinked at the sudden outburst, but inevitably shook her head. “Sorry, Al. I would tell you if I could.”

 _I’m sure you would_. Adrien thought with a tired sigh, running his hands through his hair as he glanced around the room. They seemed to calm down now, though a few people were staring glaring at Lila. Nino kept to himself, occasionally throwing Alya a sad look. Alex was across the room whispering something to Kim, who kept gazing at Lila with a mix of hesitation and steadily growing annoyance. Rose and Juleka were mumbling to each other as well, though they were more absorbed in each other than anything. Chloe and Sabrina were as indifferent as ever, which reminded him of a certain, rather irritating blond who.. 

Who wasn’t there.

Adrien furrowed his eyebrows. Neither Felix nor Marinette were sitting in the back. The akuma had been neutralized for at least half an hour at this point. They should have been back by now. He wanted to ask someone about it, but no one was sitting by him anymore.. 

The couple stumbled in just then, panting and out of breath. Had they been running? 

“Sorry for taking so long.” Marinette apologized to Mlle. Bustier.

“We got trapped in one of the classrooms and it took us longer to get back than we expected.” Felix added. 

Adrien rolled his eyes as they passed him to go to their seats. They always end up _together_ , don’t they? No matter what the circumstances are, Felix and Marinette will most likely be together. It’s getting a little redundant, if he’s being honest. At least Ladybug and Bouclier are different people. He might lose it if this whole thing was being caused by a single person.

~~~~~~

Nino’s gaze flicked to Alya as he pushed his books into his bag. She was still staring at the photo of the new fox- apparently known as “Kitsune” -and knotting her hands in her hair. Funny how she’s suddenly worried about the new heroes _now_. 

He didn’t mean to be bitter. It’s just frustrating. When he was replaced, she was ecstatic about the new hero and all over Lila about it. She didn’t even ask if he was okay! Not that that was her job, but..

Then there’s the argument that happened that morning. Nino knew Alya was loyal to Lila, but for her to turn on him like that.. So quickly.. Weren’t they supposed to be a couple? Weren’t they supposed to trust each other?

He shook his head, slipping on his headphones to muddle his thoughts with the music. It didn’t help much.

Mylene and the others said that Alya would listen to him, but that he was starting to doubt that more and more. What if he _couldn’t_ convince Alya? He loves her, but he can’t stand by her on this when he knows it’s wrong. Surely she’ll understand? Surely she’ll put _some_ consideration on what her _boyfriend_ says and thinks. If she doesn’t then.. then maybe this relationship isn’t as steady as he thought it was..

“Nino?”

Nino flinched away from the hand on his shoulder, turning to see Marinette giving him a concerned look.

“Are you okay? You look a little dazed.” She asked, drawing her hand back.

He pulled a half hearted smile and settled his headphones back around his neck. “Oh, yeah. I’m just..” He frowned as Alya passed them. “Just thinking about some stuff.”

Marinette nodded with understanding, offering a friendly smile. “If you need to talk, I’m always here.”

Nino returned the smile, relaxing a bit. Marinette always knew how to make others feel better. How he ever thought she was a bully is beyond him.

“Are you ready to go?” Felix spoke up, slipping his hand into Marinette’s.

Marinette turned to the blond with a bright smile. “Absolutely!”

Nino smirked. Those two really did look happy together. 

“Where are you dudes headed?”

Marinette and Felix shared a smile. “We’re going to Felix’s to have dinner with his parents.”

“Oh~ lucky break. Good look with that, dudette.” He winked, gaining a giggle from Marinette and an eye roll from Felix. 

“See ya, Nino!” 

He waved them off, feeling his smile fade as they walked out the front door. The two hadn’t even been dating for over a month, and they were already so close, practically joined at the hip. It was sweet. He thought he had that with Alya.

Apparently, he thought wrong.

~~~~~~

Marinette fiddled with the tip of her high ponytail as she waited for the elevator to arrive on the eight floor. 

“Were you this nervous when you came to our house last night?” She asked Felix, who was watching her with an amused smile.

The blond scoffed. “ _Absolutely_. You have nothing to worry about though. I promise they’ll be ecstatic about our relationship.”

Marinette bit her lips, hands trailing to her outfit to make sure she had it on right. The hanging sleeves of her light pink shirt were in place. She tucked in the pockets of her light grey jeans to make sure they weren’t turned inside out. Her white converse had a few specks of dirt on the side, but she was certain no one would notice. 

Felix chuckled, pulling her hands away from her outfit. “You look great. Stop fretting.”

Marinette sighed, though she smiled nonetheless. 

With a final, deep breath, they knocked on the door together. It only took a few seconds for the door to swing open, revealing a beaming Bridgette.

“Marinette! I thought you two would never get here!” 

She ushered them inside where Francis had just finished setting the table.

“Wow, we weren’t sure if Felix would ever bring you back here.” He greeted with a teasing smile. “Bridgette’s been dying to see you again.”

Bridgette scoffed in response, throwing her husband a light-hearted, yet scolding look. “Don’t act like you weren’t excited to see her, too.”

Francis only hummed, giving Marinette a subtle wink before retreating to the kitchen for the food.

Marinette giggled, feeling herself relax almost immediately. Why had she ever been nervous about coming here?

“Oh, I love that outfit! Very cute.” Bridgette complimented as she looked over her design.

“Thanks! I made it myself.” She smiled, turning from left to right for Bridgette to get a better look.

Bridgette gasped, hands coming to her cheeks and eyes sparkling. “You _made_ this?”

Marinette stood as still as possible as the woman circled her.

“It’s all sewn together so carefully, I thought you’d bought them from a store. Gabriel’s going to have a run for his money when the fashion world gets their hands on you.”

A bashful blush bloomed across Marinette’s cheeks, and she chuckled. “I-It’s just a shirt and some jeans.”

She jumped when Bridgette’s hands abruptly clamped onto her shoulders.

“Marinette, don’t ever sell yourself short. You have an amazing talent, and it would be simply unacceptable to play it down in any way.” The seriousness in her eyes was enough for Marinette to stiffen and nod along.

“Well at least we can agree on one thing.” Felix joined in with a smile. 

Despite the embarrassment, Marinette couldn’t stop smiling. Not only had Felix’s parents wanted to see her again, his mother loved her work! She hoped the rest of the evening would be this nice.

-

Marinette set her fork to the side in favor of the white cloth napkin. Eating at the Culpas felt like eating at a fancy, five-star restaurant, to be honest. Candles, flower decorations, light blue table cloths, cloth napkins.. Though she supposed she shouldn’t be surprised. Felix mentioned the fact that they owned a few banks a while back, inherited if she remembered correctly. This is probably a casual dinner for them, not that that’s a bad thing.

“Thank you for the food. It was delicious.” She said politely. Pork steak isn’t something they usually have in the bakery, but she enjoyed it nonetheless. 

Francis nodded. “It’s my pleasure. Cooking is one of my more relaxing hobbies.”

“His other hobby is accounting.” Bridgette chimed in with a smirk.

Marinette snorted. From seeing how much Felix resembled his father, she didn’t doubt it. 

Speaking of which..

“I.. uhm..” She glanced at Felix, her stomach starting to twist all over again.

He caught her eye, thankfully, and smiled. “Marinette and I actually wanted to tell you that,” Felix paused to take Marinette’s hand in his for emphasis, “we’ve started dating.”

Silence settled over the table. 

Bridgette dropped her fork onto her plate. 

Marinette started to squirm slightly. Perhaps this was a bad time? Would they think that it was too soon for a relationship? Or that they were too young? 

Her hand tightened around Felix’s when Bridgette suddenly let out an ear piercing squeal, sharp enough that Marinette turned to the windows to watch them shatter.

Surprisingly, it didn’t happen, but Bridgette _did_ fall into a ramble that vaguely reminded Marinette of herself in times of stress.

“Oh my gosh, I _knew_ it! Oh, I can’t believe this is happening so fast! Francis, Francis, did you hear them? They said they were a couple!” 

Francis chuckled towards his wife’s antics. “I heard them, love. I’m just surprised Felix actually managed to win her over.”

Marinette giggled, but Felix simply scoffed.

The scrapes of the wooden chair echoed around the penthouse as Bridgette abruptly stood with a gasp. “We should celebrate! I made cupcakes. Do you like cupcakes, Marinette? Oh, you live in a bakery, of course you do!” 

The ravenette ran off to the kitchen to retrieve the goodies with a wide grin that spread from ear to ear.

A heartbeat passed as they listened to Bridgette clamor around the kitchen. Then Francis turned to them with a soft smile.

“Congratulations.” He said warmly, prompting a smile from Marinette as well. 

“Thanks.”

That’s when Bridgette came back, holding up a tray of vanilla and chocolate cupcakes topped with red and green icing.

“Who wants cupcakes~?” She sang, walking around the table for each of them to pick one.

Marinette took the chocolate one with red icing, while Felix took the vanilla one with green icing. They shared a small smile, trying not to laugh at the irony as they took a bite.

“So,” Bridgette began, sitting back down and folding her hands on the table, “When did this happen? Who confessed first? I want all of the details!” 

Marinette stifled another laugh. Bridgette sounded about as giddy as Aurore and the others were when they told the group.

“Let’s see.. I guess it started with a little bit of _luck_.”

~~~~~~

Felix drew in a deep breath, thoroughly enjoying the crisp night air. Fall was starting to settle in, and soon, winter would follow. He pulled Marinette closer to him for warmth as they walked, his left hand rubbing her shoulder.

“I think that went well.” She giggled, wrapping her free arm around his waist.

He nodded, a smile tugging at his lips. “I’m surprised she was able to stop talking long enough to eat the cupcakes.”

Despite asking them to tell the story, Bridgette jumped in at least ten different times with a comment or a squeal or a coo. Neither minded the interruptions, though. It helped them work around the parts about being their alternate identities.

Marinette snorted and shook her head. “Is that what I sound like when I’m freaking out?”

“Well~ yes, but that’s just one of the _many_ things I love about you.” 

His smile widened when she scoffed, and his heart rate picked up as she snuggled her head into his shoulder. Gosh, he loved her so much.

“You’re such a flirt.”

“It’s the truth, though.”

“I’m sure you think so.” She laughed. 

I know so. He thought, leaning his head on top of hers.

The conversation trailed off, both quietly enjoying each other’s company. 

“So how are we going to do this?” Felix then asked.

“Hm?”

“The miraculous team. I’m assuming you have a specific way to train the new recruits.” 

As much as he loved relaxing and having fun with her, they didn’t know when the next attack would be. They needed to be ready when push came to shove. He knew she felt the same way. 

“Oh.. I was thinking we could start with Luka, since Aurore and Wayhem have both been on the field already.” 

Felix sighed. “So we’re really bringing _them_ into this?”

Marinette chuckled and poked him in the side. “ _Yes_ , we’re bringing them into this. Who else can we ask?”

She had a point. They couldn’t exactly turn to adults in this situation, and they _certainly_ couldn’t ask their current classmates. Their level of loyalty has been made quite clear.

“Better them than another idiot like Chat Noir I suppose.”

“ _Anyway_ , I’m going to start with Luka, then we’ll bring in Kagami. After that, it’ll kind of be a loop. Each fight, I’ll bring in one of them for individual training. Aurore, Wayhem, Luka, Kagami, then repeat.”

Felix nodded. It was a good system. 

“Do you think they’re gonna work well together?” 

He felt Marinette smile. 

“I think they’re going to be great.”


	23. Chapter 23

Alya flipped through the news stations on her TV, growing more irritated with each channel. Clips of the new fox hero flicked across the screen, showing him using his flute and running with Ladybug.

**~There’s been a series of new heroes recently, such as the turtle-themed hero named “Bouclier”, a bee hero named “Bumblebee”, and our latest hero, “Kitsune”. Is there a reason Ladybug is replacing the previous heroes? Why is she just now revealing this new team? What happened to the other-~**

Alya turned off the TV, staring at the reflection of herself scowling on the black screen. 

How could Ladybug do this? Weren’t they supposed to be friends? Alya thought they were getting along great! Why would she decide to replace Rena Rouge all of a sudden? Without even talking to Alya about it too!

A knock came at the front door, interrupting Alya’s inner rantings.

She huffed and stood up, throwing the controller onto the couch. No one was supposed to be at the house today besides her. (Mom and Dad were working, and the twins went with her older sister to the zoo) So, who would be at the door? Maybe the delivery guy? Did she order anything recently?

Standing on her tip-toes, Alya peered through the peephole to catch a glimpse of the intruder.

A mix of relief and annoyance twirled through her chest when she saw none other than Nino awkwardly standing in the hallway. 

Not that Alya didn’t love her boyfriend, but ever since he tripped Lila a week ago, things have just gone downhill. He’s stolen Lila’s things, ripped up her homework, purposely spilled her drinks on her.. It’s like Nino suddenly decided to make Lila’s life a living nightmare. Alya couldn’t understand why he would be so rude to Lila after everything Marinette’s done already, but she knew she couldn’t stand by and let it happen.

“Hey, Nino.” Alya greeted as she opened the door.

He gave a tentative half smile in response, pulling his hat further onto his head.

“H-hey, uh.. I.. I wanted to talk to you.” Nino stuttered, more nervous than the time they got trapped in that zoo cage together.

Alya crossed her arms and eyed him up and down. “Okay.. talk to me about what?”

Nino grimaced, his fingers brushing against the green headphones around his neck. “Well, I.. I-it’s about Lila..”

Alya groaned before he could continue. “What _about_ Lila, Nino? If you try to tell me that she’s lying again-”

“But she _is_!” Nino defended.

You could _hear_ her eye roll. “How many times have we been over this? Marinette’s manipulative and a jerk, and she will say anything to justify how she’s bullied Lila over the past months.”

“No, that’s not-”

“And don’t think _you’re_ off the hook either.” Alya cut him off, jabbing her finger into his chest. “You think I’m just going to ignore how you’ve been treating her, too?”

Nino took a step and frowned as he put his hand on the place she poked. “I told you, I have done anything!”

She scoffed. “Everyone was there when you tripped her. I _saw_ you spill her drink. We found her missing lunch in _your_ bag!”

“That was all her! Al, you have to believe me. I’m innocent and so is Mari!” He pleaded, but Alya wouldn’t stand for it.

“Nino, I love you, but I can’t keep doing this. You need to grow up. I get that Lila’s been taking up some of my time, but this is ridiculous.” 

Hurt splintered across Nino’s face, and he looked away. 

The pause between them, though short, seemed to drag on forever before he spoke again.

“I can’t keep doing this either.”

Alya blinked. “What?” 

Nino met her gaze, looking disappointed yet sure at the same time.

“I’m breaking up with you.”

The comment hit her like a truck, making her stomach sink while lodging her heart in her throat. 

“W-Wait, what?” Alya choked.

Nino sighed and shook his head. “I can’t stand with you when you’re fighting for a _liar_ , Alya, I-” He paused, drawing in a breath to steady himself. “I’m done.”

“Y-” Alya sputtered, brows furrowed. “ _You’re_ done? That’s _rich_! You and Marinette are the ones terrorizing Lila, and you’re blaming _me_ for being a good friend to her?!”

Her temporary shock had shifted to fury in an instant, but Nino only straightened as a way to reaffirm himself.

“ _Marinette’s_ the one being terrorized, and I’m blaming you for throwing her to the side for a cheap liar like Lila.”

She swore smoke was coming out of ears. “ _What_! If _I_ threw her to the side, then so did you!”

Nino nodded, to her surprise. “I did, but I also apologized for it.”

Before Alya could shout something in response, Nino spun on his heel and headed out the door. 

“We’re having a party for her today at the park. You should get over yourself and Lila and come say sorry too.”

The door closed behind him, and Alya was left listening to his fading footsteps and her shattering heart.

It took 2 full minutes for her to fully register what had just happened. 

She sank to the floor, lost in a daze. 

Nino. Her boyfriend of roughly eight months just broke up with her. Over Marinette.

Over _Marinette_!

Alya came to life once again, yanking a pillow off of the couch and screaming into it. 

What the _heck_! How _dare_ he break up with her for that- that - _bully_!

She threw the pillow back onto the couch in a fit of rage. The pillow bounced off of the couch and landed on the floor, the remote control landing on top of it.

Alya stared at it, remembering the news reports of Kitsune. The new fox, Marinette, Nino.. why was everything falling apart! And why is everyone blaming _her_ for it! This wasn’t.. That’s just not fair!

She was about to get something else to throw when a flash of purple enveloped her glasses. 

An odd presence wormed into her mind, numbing her other senses.

_Blindside, I am Hawkmoth. Your boyfriend and friends refuse to see things for what they are. I will help you change their perspective, but you must do something for me in return._

“Yes, Hawkmoth.”

~~~~~~

Marinette glanced at Felix for the fifth since they started their walk to the park. 

She was trying not to! Honest! It’s just.. Felix _hates_ the park. At least, he hates it during the afternoon when it’s crowded with people. Why would he invite her to the park around this time?

Nothing _seemed_ off with him. Same indifferent expression. Same posture. Same, calm demeanor. He was completely normal. Too normal..

Something was up.

“You’re going to burn a hole through my head if you keep doing that.” Felix commented, looking down at her with a small smirk.

Marinette frowned. 

“You hate the park.” She said, finally voicing her thoughts.

Felix scoffed lightly. “I don’t _hate_ the park.”

“Okay, you hate people, which the park will be filled with right now.” 

He hummed. “I just thought it would be nice for a stroll, but if you don’t want to go-”

“No, I want to go.” Marinette replied with narrowed eyes.

Felix only smiled.

Something was definitely up.

Nevertheless, they continued the walk in silence while Marinette searched her mind for what he could possibly be bringing her into. 

A surprise date? No, Felix didn’t like onlookers.

A party? But there weren’t any special events that she knew of.

A new gaming event? She would have heard about that though..

 _Ugh! What is it??_ She internally groaned.

By the time they got to the park, Marinette was almost squirming with anticipation. As soon as she saw the familiar, luscious green park grass, her pace quickened. She was too focused on the probabilities that she didn’t notice Felix’s growing grin.

The first thing that caught her were streamers, wrapped around some trees at the beginning of the park. The next thing was the balloons, tied to a few different benches in groups of two. Finally, she notices the big, bright banner that read, “SORRY MARI!!”.

“SURPRISE!” 

Marinette blinked at the series of shouts that erupted around the park as her classmates popped out of trees and bushes and from behind benches.

“W-What is this?” Marinette fumbles, turning to Felix with a quizzical expression.

“Well,” A voice began, drawing Marinette’s attention to Nino, who had just slipped through the crowd, “I thought everyone would want the chance to apologize, and what better way to do that than to throw a party, right?” 

“Apologize?” Marinette was so lost.

She was surrounded by people in an instant, each yelling similar things and some crushing her with group hugs.

“We’re so sorry!” Rose squeaked, tightening her hold around Marinette’s waist.

“We shouldn’t have believed that lying witch.” Alex added, clear agitation in her tone, most likely towards Lila.

“It wasn’t cool of us.” Juleka mumbled, barely being heard above the other apologies.

Marinette put a hand to her mouth and tried to keep her tears at bay. All of her friends.. They believed her. They were all saying sorry and believed her!

“Of course I forgive you guys.” She sniffed, reaching out to draw them closer.

Her classmates, of course, obliged and all joined in on the group hug. 

She looked up to see Felix standing just outside the hug with a soft smile. Marinette gave him a bright smile in return.

“Thank you for doing this.” Marinette said once the group dispersed enough for her to talk properly.

Nino waved off her comment. “It’s the least we can do after the way we treated you. Besides, Felix should really get the credit. I just mentioned the idea the other day, and next thing I knew, he planned the whole thing.”

Marinette turned to her boyfriend, who was suddenly busy with the nonexistent lint on his shirt sleeve. 

“You two have a good thing, ya know?” Nino commented, also watching Felix with a smile.

Marinette nodded. “Yeah, I know.”

“You should hold onto that.”

“I plan too.” She giggled. 

Nino’s smile widened slightly in response, and he gave a satisfied nod.

“Anyway, I’ve got some DJing to do so,” He tipped his hat to her, “party on, dudette.”

Marinette laughed and waved him off, then stepped over to Felix.

“So..” She began, a coy smirk coming to her lips. “You planned this, huh?” 

“I admit to nothing.” Felix answered, still picking at his shirt sleeve.

She snorted and shook her head. Typical Felix.

Marinette leaned forward, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Thanks for ‘nothing’ then.” 

That was when Felix looked up at her with a warm smile. “You deserve it.”

Marinette scoffed, but before either of them could continue, another group squished her into a hug.

“Mari! Were you surprised? Did you like the party? Wayhem and I worked really hard on the banner!” Aurore squealed, holding Marinette the closest.

“Well, we _tried_ to help. I think we stressed out Nathaniel more than anything.” Wayhem chuckled, hugging Aurore and Marinette at the same time.

“Luka’s playing the guitar right now, but he says ‘hi’.” Kagami spoke up, simply putting a hand on Marinette’s shoulder as she stood next to Felix.

Marinette laughed and gave Wayhem and Aurore a light squeeze. “I’ll tell Luka ‘hi’ later, and yes, I was _very_ surprised.” 

She then gave Felix a teasing glance. “I have to admit that I was suspicious though.” 

A few “Aw”s and “what?”s came from Wayhem and Aurore.

“She’s too smart for her own good.” Felix sighed.

Kagami smirked. “Of course she is. It’s Marinette.”

Wayhem perked up. “I’d say the only one that _might_ be smarter than Mari is Ladybug.”

It took an extreme amount of willpower not to look at Felix as she let out a nervous laugh. “W-well, ya know- that-”

“NINO LAHIFFE!”

The group tensed, slowly turning to the portable stage that had been set up in the middle of the park.

There stood Alya, dressed in a mix of dark and light blues. Her glasses seemed to glow as she stared down the frozen DJ.

“It’s time you see things _my_ way for a change.”

~~~~~~

An akuma.

It just _had_ to be an akuma.

And at the beginning of Marinette’s party no less.

Felix grit his teeth, easily moving through Wayhem and Aurore to put a protective hand across Marinette. Hawkmoth was going to _wish_ he’d been cataclysmed by Chat when Felix got his hands on that old man.

Alya jumped down next to her terrified ex-boyfriend and gave him a wicked grin.

“I’m at the party, like you said, but I won’t be the one apologizing.” She leaned forward and touched Nino’s glasses, spreading her enchanting glow onto them. “Will I?”

Nino briefly struggled to take the glasses off, before slowly sitting up and looking around. “Of course not.” 

Felix narrowed his eyes. Interesting. 

Nino furrowed his eyebrows and lifted his cap enough to scratch his head. “I-I’m sorry, Al. I don’t know what I was thinking. Please take me back. I was overreacting when I broke up with you.”

Broke up? Lahiffe and Cessaire broke up? That was new.

A light touch on his forearm brought Felix’s attention back to his girlfriend. She glanced between him and the akuma, before nodding her head towards the park exit.

“It’s not your fault, love.” Alya cooed, gently cupping Nino’s cheek. 

Felix nodded and turned to see Kagami and the others exchanging glances as well. Without a word, they decided to spread out to cover separate exits and try to get as many people out of the park as possible. 

Unfortunately, the akuma turned towards them at that moment, specifically to see Marinette. “It’s _hers_.”

“Scatter!” Marinette yelled.

Suddenly, Felix was being yanked across the park by Marinette. Screams split the crowd behind them, and he could hear Alya jumping into the swarm of people.

He looked back in time to see the akuma tug on her glasses as if she were about to take them off. Then, in the glowing light, a new pair of glasses appeared. 

Alya pounced on her next victim, swiftly equipping the glasses to a panicked Juleka. As soon as the glasses were on, Juleka stopped struggling, instead turning to glare at him and Marinette.

They rounded the corner just then, effectively ducking out of sight from the chaos.

“Okay. I’m gonna run to Fu’s for the snake miraculous. You hold her off long enough for me to get to Luka.” Marinette instructed once they were isolated.

“Got it.” Felix replied, swiftly transforming into his alter ego. 

Marinette did the same and slung her yo-yo forward to wrap around a chimney.

“Stay safe.” She requested, giving his hand a light squeeze.

Felix smiled, squeezing her hand back and pecking her forehead. “You too.”

The two nodded to each other, before jumping off in different directions. 

_Keep Luka safe, hold off Alya. Keep Luka safe, hold off Alya._ Felix repeated to himself as he ran back into the danger. 

Alya had captured a few more people while they were transforming. Max, Rose, and Ivan.. he didn’t see Luka yet, which was most likely a good sign. Marinette would be able to find him when she needed too.

“Where’s the bug? I thought you too were inseparable lately.” 

Bouclier glanced to his right, though he didn’t have to see Chat to know he was the source of the heavy sarcasm.

“She’ll be here soon. She wants us to hold off Alya in the meantime.”

Chat Noir rolled his eyes and put his baton behind his neck, resting his arms on the staff. “Whatever. Try to keep up, will ya?” 

With that, the black cat sprang into the battle. 

Felix sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

_Keep Luka safe, hold off Alya.. and try to prevent Chat from sabotaging anything._

_Fantastic._

~~~~~~

Luka held his breath as Alya passed him for the fifth time. He was lucky she’d been so engrossed with Nino, else he might not have made it to his hiding place under the stage.

The shuffles of the few classmates he’d smuggled in brought out a soft “shhh” from him. They didn’t need to make this harder for the heroes. 

Bouclier and Chat Noir arrived a few minutes into the tirade, but Ladybug hasn’t appeared yet. He hoped she would come soon. The faster they defeated the akuma, the faster he could continue the party for Marinette. She really deserved it after everything that’s happened.

A pair of footsteps landed next to the back of the stage and everyone tensed. The slit between the wood panels didn’t provide much insight as to who was closest.

Panicked whispers started spreading through the small group when two of the panels were pulled back. Luka tried to shush them again as a last attempt, but they all knew what was coming. Hiding under the stage was sneaky, but ultimately, a trap.

Their sighs of relief were just a bit too loud as Ladybug popped her head in through the panels. 

“Everyone follow me.” She whispered.

They did as they were told, Luka coming out last. 

Ladybug checked for Alya, before ushering them to run the nearest building. 

It wasn’t until Luka started following the others that she put a hand on his shoulder.

“Actually, I need your help.” She said, watching the others go.

Luka blinked. “Uh- of course. Anything you need.”

Not that he knew how he would be able to help her.

Ladybug smiled and pulled out a black and red box.

“Luka Couffaine, will you take the snake miraculous and help me protect the city of Paris.”

Luka’s eyes widened. Ladybug’s giving him a miraculous?

“I..” He trailed off, lost for words. She seemed to understand, though, and handed him the sacred object.

It felt lighter than he expected, and his surprise only increased when he opened it to reveal a shimmering blue orb. 

The light changed before his very eyes, shifting into a small, snakelike creature.

“Hello, young hero. My name is Sass, and I am your new kwami.” The god-like being greeted. “To use your miraculous, just say ‘Sass, scales slither’.”

Luka looked at Ladybug, as if to make sure this all wasn’t some wild dream.

She gave an encouraging smile. “Whenever your ready.”

He nodded, taking a deep breath as he slipped on the bracelet. The rush of magic almost made him gasp. It felt intoxicating, other-worldly. He couldn’t say he hated it.

“Sass, scales slither!”

-

Luka- now known as Viperon -crouched behind a chimney, trying to get the best view that he could. Ladybug was quite specific when she explained his powers and what she needed him to use them for. He had the power of “second chance”, meaning he could rewind time to a certain point until five minutes passed.

“It’s important that you stay out of danger.” Ladybug had said. “You are our backup. If something happens to us, and you don’t react in time, it’s game over.”

The weight of her words sat heavy in his chest, but he understood why she said what she did. The responsibilities of superheroes are extremely important. He can’t take them lightly.

“Alya, you have to stop this! What happened to wanting to help the heroes of Paris?” Ladybug pleaded, dodging Alya for the third time.

The akuma growled in annoyance. “Sorry, Ladybug, but it’s Blindside now. You’ll see that this is for the best once you stop being stubborn and let me put on these glasses!”

Bouclier threw his shell shield into Blindside, knocking her off balance. 

Ladybug took the opportunity to wrap her yo-yo around Blindside’s legs and pulled them out from under her.

Blindside screamed out of frustration, writhing on the ground in an attempt to get the strings untied.

“Get the glasses!” Ladybug yelled.

Bouclier reached for them, and Luka thought he wouldn’t even be needed for this fight. That is, until a certain cat pushed Bouclier out of the way.

“What are you doing!” Bouclier and Ladybug shouted at the same time.

“Oh, _please_ , after your guys’ escapades, I deserve to have _some_ things stay the same.” Chat retorted, turning to reach for the glasses. He didn’t realize that Blindside had already taken out another pair.

Chat Noir was just about to call his cataclysm for Ladybug when Viperon activated his power.

-

 _Round two_. Viperon told himself, watching the fight replay before him. Ladybug tried to persuade Alya while Chat Noir and Bouclier dealt with the other mind controlled drones. Then Bouclier tried to throw his shield to create an opening.

This time, however, Chat Noir hit the shield back to Bouclier with his staff.

“I’m already on it, tortoise.” The cat sneered with a smug grin.

Bouclier’s shield smacked him in the chest since he wasn’t expecting the rebound, causing him to be caught be the three “zombies”.

Chat Noir ignored his partner’s need for help and Ladybug’s calls, throwing his staff at Blindside instead.

Blindside merely jumped over the staff and used the momentum to land a blow on Chat Noir. 

Before they could blink, Chat Noir and Bouclier were both under Blindside’s control.

Luka sighed, activating his power once again.

-

 _Third time’s a charm_. Viperon mentally groaned, watching the fight play out _again._

Ladybug talked to Blindside, same old same old. Bouclier threw his shield, the usual. Ladybug ties up Blindside with her yo-yo. At least they got that far. But as everyone ran in to break the akumatized object, Chat _conveniently_ ran in front of Bouclier. Next thing you know, Bouclier tripped from Chat _accidentally_ putting his foot out to the right while running. Bouclier falls, bumps into Chat, and ends up taking all three of the heroes down. 

Blindside’s on them in an instant, and the team gets a new pair of matching glasses.

Viperon cursed under his breath and restarted the timer again.

-

“Second chance number four.” Viperon grumbled, shifting uncomfortably on the hard rooftop. Was this normal for them? Everyone appeared to be more.. _tense_.. than usual, especially Chat Noir. I mean, he knew they were fighting an akuma, but Chat’s problems seemed to be..internal.

“Chat Noir!” Ladybug yelled when Chat sabotaged Bouclier _again_.

“ _What_!” Chat yelled back. “I’m doing anything _wrong_!”

Well, that’s a lie. He’s been doing everything wrong during this fight, actually.

Blindside used Ladybug’s distraction to slip on her glasses, easily hypnotizing Ladybug into her control.

-

 _Last time_. Luka thought, fingering the miraculous currently wrapped around his wrist. _Last time I’ll be going back. Chat will get over whatever issues he’s obviously having and Ladybug will save the day._

Unfortunately, no matter how much he wanted to believe that, Chat still got in the way. Again.

Then again.

And again.

If Chat wasn’t tripping up Bouclier, he was stealing the limelight, and if he wasn’t doing that, then he was chewing out Ladybug or charging the akuma head on.

Viperon sighed. Enough was enough. Ladybug said one of his jobs was to observe the battle and help them fix the problem. Obviously, Chat Noir was the probably. So how would he fix it?

Viperon strummed his harp in thought, watching the fight fall to the enemy side again. It was Chat’s doing, as expected. That probably meant taking Chat Noir out of the equation would help them win, right? 

Only one way to find out.

-

As soon as Second Chance started, Viperon hopped up from the roof and made his way to the battlefield as subtly as possible. Ladybug wouldn’t mind this slight change of plans if it was necessary, he was sure.

“Alya, you have to stop this! What happened to wanting to _help_ the heroes of Paris?” Ladybug pleaded, right on queue.

Luka practically mouthed along with Blindside as she said, “Sorry, Ladybug, but it’s Blindside now. You’ll see that this is for the best once you stop being stubborn and let me put on these glasses!”

His light jog turned into a sprint when Bouclier raised his shield for the expected throw. 

Finally, Viperon tackled Chat Noir right when Bouclier threw his shield.

“Hey, I’m the good guy!” Chat Noir protested, wrestling with Viperon on the ground.

The shield hit Blindside as it was supposed too, but Ladybug and Bouclier hesitated.

“I’ll explain later! Ladybug, get her legs! Bouclier, get the glasses!” Viperon ordered.

Ladybug and Bouclier nodded, and continued with their original plan.

It wasn’t until Ladybug was watching the white butterfly fly away that Viperon let Chat Noir go.

“What was that!” Chat demanded, hackles raised and teeth bared.

“I’m sure he has a reasonable explanation.” Ladybug cut in, putting a hand on Chat’s shoulder.

Chat jerked away and crossed his arms. “He’d better.” 

Viperon brushed himself off and nodded. “I had to take him out for you guys to win. He kept sabotaging the fights.”

“ _What_!” Chat gaped.

Ladybug and Bouclier exchanged looks, but didn’t reply.

Viperon’s bangle conveniently beeped a warning at that moment, and Ladybug jumped at the opportunity.

“Oh, we’d better get going. I need to get the miraculous before Viperon detransforms.”

“Wh- bu-” Chat only got out a few stutters before Ladybug whisked Luka away to find a hiding place.

~~~~~~

Adrien hopped down from his bedroom window and detransformed just in time to hear a knock at his door. 

“Adrien?” A voice from the other side of the door.

“Yes, Nathalie?” He said, forcing a smile in case she opened the door.

Thankfully, she didn’t. “Your next photo shoot will be in an hour. We’re leaving in twenty minutes.”

“Okay, I’ll be down there in a second.” 

His smile faded along with her footsteps.

“Everyone’s against me, Plagg! Marinette and Felix, Bouclier and Viperon, even Ladybug and Nino are starting to turn on me! What is everyone’s problem?”

Plagg gave a disinterested eye roll. “Right. _They’re_ the problem.”

Adrien frowned, watching Plagg zip off to find a new wheel of cheese. The tiny god’s been getting crankier as of late. Was it a kwami thing? Is he not feeling well? Can kwamis even get sick?

“Of course they are.” Adrien continued anyway, wandering over to the couch. “I’ve told Marinette countless times that confronting Lila wasn’t the answer, and what did she do? Confront Lila. Next thing you know, Marinette’s being accused of bullying and the entire classroom is tense 24/7.”

He picked up the black TV remote and plopped onto the couch. “Same thing with Nino. I tell him to lay low, but he refused. Next thing ya know, Nino is framed for attacking Lila and Lila herself gets akumatized, which is exactly what I was trying to _avoid_.”

Plagg scoffed from his trash bin. “Lila was going to get akumatized either way. At least pigtails and ball cap _stood_ for their morals.”

Adrien tisked. There’s that curt tone again.

He turned the TV on and started flipping through a few channels. 

It wasn’t like he _hadn’t_ stood for something. He just wanted to have the best outcome to the situation. Aggravating Lila and getting her akumatized was _not_ the best outcome.

**~Breaking News!~**

Adrien stopped on a news channel featuring Nadja Chamack. A picture of their earlier fight was featured on background behind her.

**~We’ve just received photographs of the fight that took place in the park earlier this afternoon. Our super team saved the day once again thanks to the new additions. Bouclier has certainly proven himself to be a valuable asset to Paris.~**

Adrien growled, turning off the TV. He would’ve defeated Blindside in no time had he not been tackled by that newbie. What was he even doing there, anyway? Ladybug already had Bouclier. If that turtle was _really_ useful, they wouldn’t need any other heroes, now, would they?

They just need to get rid of him, take back Carapace and keep _some_ sort of order to things. Ladybug’s misjudging because of her feelings- though he loathed to admit Ladybug had feeling for the jerk.

Adrien tossed his controller to the side and stood up. It was decided then. They couldn’t have weak links in the team. If Ladybug had to bring another hero into the fight again, he would take care of Bouclier. 

Permanently.

~~~~~~

Lila tapped her finger on her bicep, replaying the past week in her mind. Pretending Nino tripped her didn’t go as planned, and neither did the others fifty plans she tried out that week. No one seemed to believe her anymore, aside from Alya, but Alya wasn’t enough. She wanted all of them. She wanted Nino. She wanted Felix. Most of all, she wanted Marinette, preferably under her feet than at her side.

Her phone lit up next to her, alerting Lila that she received a text message.

She rolled her eyes and clicked on Alya’s icon. What Ladybug leads did she want to rant about now?

**~Nino broke up with me!! :’(((~**

Lila blinked. Then read the message again.

_What?!_

**~What do you mean Nino broke up with you??~**

**~I mean he broke up with me! He tried to get me to side with Mari again and when I said no he left!~**

Lila scowled. That was her only bargaining chip she had left!

Her phone buzzed again, this time with a notification from social media.

Pictures of a party were splayed across the screen. Some of Nino and Felix and her other classmates, but mostly of Marinette. Then, at the very end, there was a group picture of everyone in front of a large banner.

A banner that read, “SORRY MARINETTE”

Lila’s rage escaped her through an ear-piercing screech as she chucked her phone across the room. This wasn’t how this was supposed to go! _She_ was supposed to be the one they threw parties for! _She_ was the one they were supposed to adore and shower with attention! _She_ was supposed to be the “perfect” queen of school! It was all supposed to be about _her_! Why was that so hard!

A black butterfly slipped through the slit in her window, and she noticed it immediately.

Lila jumped forward, snatching the butterfly out of the air and merging it with her bracelet.

“I want to make a deal.”


	24. Chapter 24

_..You want to make a deal?_

Lila sat back down on her bed and crossed her legs, putting up a confident front though Hawkmoth couldn’t actually see her.

“I have some.. _pawns_ that need to be put in their place, and you have a convenient way of doing just that.”

She could feel the mix of curiosity and annoyance coursing through the freshly created bond. 

“I don’t ask for much.” She continued before he could flat out reject her request. “Just an akuma at my beck and call for when I need a specific lie to come to life.” 

Or a few specific lies. She’d told a lot of them.

_And what do I get in return?_

Lila rolled her eyes. Ah, yes, the usual “take some, get some” ordeal. 

“The miraculous, obviously. It’s what you’re after, isn’t it?”

Hawkmoth didn’t reply, though she could tell he was turning the deal over in his mind. 

_As interesting as this sounds, you’ve failed me before, and I need the miraculous now. I don’t have time to play a teenager’s game._

Lila scowled, her hands clenching around her hot pink bed sheets. Game? He thought this was all just some _game_?

“Alright, fine.” She bit off. “How about this, If you help me, I _won’t_ tell the police that Paris’ terrorist is actually Gabriel Agreste.”

Panic. Brief but there. 

_Excuse me?_

Lila smirked. “If you don’t help me, I’ll rat you out to the police, Gabriel.”

This wasn’t just some game. This was _war_ , and although Lila wanted to save this blackmail for later, she was willing to do anything to get what she wanted.

 _You’ve confused me for someone els_ e. Hawkmoth replied, a bit stiffer than before.

Lila scoffed. “ _Please_ , a few visits to your mansion and some over-akumatization and anyone can figure out who you are.”

Another silence, this time heavy with tension.

_You have no proof. Ladybug will never believe you._

She almost snorted. Honestly, this guy was grasping at straws. “Oh, I’m sure the police will hold a thorough investigation regardless.” 

Lila straightened, pushing as much hatred and malice through the bond as possible. “Give me what I want, and your secret’s safe. We’re supposed to be partners anyway, remember?”

Rage flared through the bond on his side, but she didn’t care. She knew she had him cornered.

_..When exactly do you need this akuma?_

~~~~~~

“Oh~ that’s a good one!” Wayhem grinned, tilting his phone towards Aurore so she could see the picture.

Aurore brightened. “Yes! We’ll have to put that in the video!” 

Wayhem nodded. “Do you think Marinette will like it?” 

A video filled with pictures of their time together was nice, but they’d already thrown her a party. Would she _want_ anything else? What if she thought they were over-doing it? Despite her own behavior, Marinette was quite keen on not letting people overwork themselves.

“Of course she will! It’s Mari, you know her.” Aurore smiled, waving off his concerns

Wayhem chuckled. He supposed she was right. It was Marinette, after all. She’d love anything they gave her. 

A gasp brought his eyes back to Aurore, who was looking up at the sky with wide eyes. 

“Is that..” 

“Is that what?” Wayhem frowned, following her gaze. 

He didn’t catch it at first, not until Aurore pointed out the glimpse of a shadow near a rooftop. 

An akuma.

Without a word, the two took off, following the purple butterfly through alleys and down sidewalks, all the way to an apartment window.

“The fire escape!” Aurore exclaimed.

Wayhem knelt down to give her a boost for the ladder, then climbed up himself. They called for a “Miss” or a “Sir” to get the potential victim’s attention, but no answer came. The akuma slipped through one of the cracked windows, and Aurore jumped forward to open said window. 

“What are you doing?” Wayhem asked when she abruptly stopped.

Aurore tugged him down and out of sight, and Wayhem yelped from surprise.

“It’s Lila.” She whispered, keeping her eyes forward.

“Lila?” Wayhem whispered back, now looking into the window as well.

Lila was indeed standing there, holding a struggling akuma in her hands with an eerie grin. 

His eyes widened, and he ducked further beneath the window. The two watched as she merged the akuma with her bracelet _willingly_. 

“I’d like to make a deal.” 

Wayhem gasped, which caused Aurore to clamp a hand over his mouth. 

“Shh!” She shushed, glancing down at her phone to press the “record” button on her camera.

“I have some.. _pawns_ that need to be put in their place, and you have a convenient way of doing just that.” Lila spoke up again. 

Wayhem and Aurore turned to watch once more, Aurore making sure her camera was facing Lila. They knew Lila was evil, but actively making a deal with Hawkmoth? And Wayhem could take a wild guess as to who the “pawns” were.

“I don’t ask for much, just an akuma at my beck and call for when I need a specific lie to come to life.” The brunette continued, studying her nails with a bored expression. How could someone be so calm while negotiating with a terrorist?

A small pause ensued, before Lila rolled her eyes. “The miraculous, obviously. It’s what you’re after, isn’t it?”

Another pause.

Lila scowled. Apparently, Hawkmoth said something she didn’t like.

“Alright, fine. How about this, If you help me, I _won’t_ tell the police that Paris’ terrorist is actually Gabriel Agreste.”

Wayhem and Aurore both gasped, before promptly putting a hand on each other’s mouths. Adrien’s dad? The shut in? There’s no way.

Hawkmoth must have had a similar reaction, because Lila smirked. “If you don’t help me, I’ll rat you out to the police, _Gabriel_.”

A third pause, and Lila scoffed again.

“ _Please_ , a few visits to your mansion and some over-akumatization and anyone can figure out who you are.”

Wayhem’s hand found Aurore’s out of nervousness, and she squeezed it with reassurance. Does that mean.. Lila’s telling the truth for once? They need to hear the other side of the conversation, dang it!

“Oh, I’m sure the police will hold a thorough investigation regardless. Give me what I want, and your secret’s safe. We’re supposed to be partners anyway, remember?” Lila finished, a horrible gleam in her eyes. Was she Hawkmoth’s partner _before_ this then? 

Wayhem would’ve groaned had it not been for the situation. Too many questions! not enough answers!

Lila started listing times and places and specific akumas next, meaning the blackmail worked. and if the blackmail worked, then..

Aurore sucked in a breath, stopping the recording and pushing herself against the wall to hide from the window. “We need to get this to Ladybug.”

Wayhem followed her lead, pushing himself against the wall on the other side of the window. “But how? We don’t know where or who she is, and Alya hasn’t been able to get a hold of her lately.”

Aurore fiddled with her phone for moment.

“What about Marinette? She’s the one that got Alya that interview, right?”

Wayhem sat up, whisper-yelling, “Oh yeah! She has tons of contacts!”

Aurore smiled and crawled over to his side of the window. “Okay, we’ll go show Marinette, and then go to the police.”

Wayhem nodded and got ready to run. They needed to get out of there before Lila noticed them.

A last glance through the window and a count of three and they were gone, scrambling back down the fire escape and heading for the bakery.

~~~~~~

Marinette smoothed out her map of Paris across her bed. Hand-drawn butterflies and X’s littered the page, appearing mostly around the top left corner. 

She chewed on the pen she was currently holding between her teeth, overlooking the different locations. 

_Hawkmoth’s lair… Hawkmoth’s lair.._ She thought to herself, absently picking up her phone to scroll through some of Paris’ recent tags, more specifically #akumasightings. 

Most of them were pictures of the actual victims, but a select few were pictures of the cursed butterflies. Those came in handy when a certain hero trying to pinpoint a certain terrorist’s hiding spot.

Another picture of a black butterfly appeared on the tag list, and Marinette took the pen from between her teeth to mark the location.

“This is your idea of celebrating?”

She held back a smile, spinning around on her bedroom floor to look at Felix.

He stood half-way through the trap door with a plate of cookies and a smile. 

“A hero’s work is never done, I guess.” She shrugged, hopping up to steal some of the snacks he’d brought. After the apology party- which was wonderful _despite_ Alya’s interruption -she and Felix decided to go back to the bakery to have a small celebration of their own. 

The long-overdue downfall of Lila. 

“I’m sure Paris will be fine if you take a break tonight.” Felix said, placing a light kiss on her head as she took a cookie.

Marinette hummed and bit into the chocolate-chip goodness. “I was just checking over the akuma tags real quick. With the info from your first week of hiding and the tags over Paris, I think it’s safe to say that Hawkmoth’s lair is somewhere on the eastern side of Paris.”

Felix took a cookie of his own. “Good, that means we’re closing in.”

Marinette nodded, setting the plate of cookies to the side. If they were lucky, this would all be over soon. “So, you wanted to celebrate? Anything specific in mind?” 

Felix pulled a smirk, one she knew well. He definitely had something planned. 

“GUYS!” 

Unfortunately, before he could say anything, an extremely distraught Aurore and Wayhem burst through the trap door, each talking a million miles a minute.

“We were walking home and looking at pictures-”

“-I was the one that saw the akuma-”

“-It dragged us down the alleyway-”

“-Climbed up the fire escape-”

“-Lila-”

“Woah!” Marinette cut in, holding up her hands to get them to stop. “Calm down. One at a time. What happened?” 

Aurore and Wayhem looked at each other, out of breath, and took out Aurore’s phone. 

A video played across the screen, showing Lila and a butterfly and an unsettling conversation.

Marinette swore she felt the blood drain from her face when Lila mentioned Gabriel’s name. A quick glance to Felix proved that he wasn’t any better, though he kept his expression neutral. 

“What are we gonna do?” Wayhem asked once the video was over. 

“We have to tell Ladybug, right?” Aurore added.

 _You just did_. Marinette kept herself from saying. She stumbled slightly against her desk, putting a hand on Felix’s shoulder. 

“Mari!”

“Are you okay?” 

“Yeah, Yeah I’m fine.” No, she wasn’t. She felt like she was gonna be sick. Gabriel Agreste.. Her mentor.. Adrien’s father.. _Adrien_. Was he in on it? Is that why he didn’t want Lila to get exposed?

“I’ll tell Ladybug. I know a special place she likes to go.” Marinette managed, leaning further into Felix. 

He wrapped his arms around her, partly to steady her and partly to ground himself as well. 

“Alright, great. You guys tell LB, and we’ll go tell the police.” Wayhem decided.

Marinette just nodded, still too shocked to focus properly.

Wayhem and Aurore ran out of the room as quickly as they’d entered, leaving Felix and Marinette to absorb the bomb that had just been dropped on them. 

“My own uncle..” Felix muttered, his grip tightening on Marinette.

Marinette squeezed his hand in response. That’s right.. Felix was related to Gabriel too. 

“What do we do?” 

Marinette pursed her lips. Lila _could_ be lying about the whole thing, if they were lucky, but if she wasn’t..

“I think it’s time to pay a visit to the Agreste mansion.”

-

Ladybug squinted to keep the setting sun out of her eyes. Paris felt silent, as if they were jumping around at three in the morning instead of six in the afternoon. 

She spared a glance in Bouclier’s direction. His expression was as cold and indifferent as ever. Whatever hurt or betrayal he’d felt about Hawkmoth’s identity had been covered up by a vengeance. A silent, ruthless vengeance. Ladybug couldn’t say that she didn’t support it. Honestly, even if Gabriel _wasn’t_ Hawkmoth, he’s needed a good smacking for a while now.

The two stopped on a rooftop in front of the Agreste mansion, and Ladybug noted that they were practically in the center of the eastern part of Paris. 

“Should we go inside?” Bouclier mumbled, kneeling next to her. 

Ladybug shook her head. “Not yet. I don’t want him getting suspicious. Let’s just circle the house for now.”

Nothing worth noting came from the search. Excessive security, purposeful isolation.. Basically things they already knew. There was, however, one thing that caught her eye as they were about to leave.

“That’s an odd window.” Ladybug thought aloud, staring up at the large, circular window pane on the back of the Agreste mansion.

“What’s odd about it?” Bouclier asked.

“Well, it’s blocked.” She pointed out. “Why build a big window if you’re just going to block it with a wall?” 

Bouclier blew out a sigh. “When does anything this man’s involved in make sense?” 

Marinette frowned, taking a step back. Gabriel might be mad, but there was a _reason_ to his madness. If he was Hawkmoth, that would explain the constant supervision of Adrien, the insane security. So, that meant there was a reason to this window, but what?

Her eyes widened. 

“A butterfly.”

“Hm?”

Ladybug put a hand on Bouclier’s shoulder. “It’s a _butterfly_.”

The separate window panes had been aligned to look exactly like a butterfly, or like a lost moth miraculous. 

Bouclier frowned. They both knew what that likely meant. “So what do we do now? I assume we can’t just barge in without a plan.”

“We.. No. Let’s re-group. We need to talk to Master Fu about all of this.”

Bouclier nodded, and Ladybug threw out her yo-yo again. They might have to assemble the Miraculous Team sooner than she thought.

~~~~~~

Gabriel stared down at his computer screen with a scowl. When the security cameras alerted him of movement around the house, he expected a stray cat or a bug, maybe even a passing car. What he _didn’t_ expect- nor appreciate, might he add -was to see Ladybug and Bouclier snooping around. 

“I’m sure it’s just patrol.” Nathalie insisted, watching the screen over his shoulder.

“It’s too early for patrol.” He replied. They didn’t usually go out until the sun had set fully. 

The heroes circled the house at least three times before stopping around the back. What were they looking for? Surely, nothing specific. 

..Hopefully, nothing specific. 

“I thought I’d thrown them off the trail when I akumatized myself.” He muttered, more to himself than to Nathalie. “It seems we’re going to have to take things a bit further this time.” 

It was bad enough that that Rossi child was at his throat about her own little akumas. Why were the heroes now suspicious of him again? Had that sausage-haired brat told the police of his identity already?

“Further how?” Nathalie asked, worry lacing her tone.

Gabriel closed the camera app as the heroes swung away and turned to face Nathalie. “We’ll create an akuma near me, with plenty of witnesses. Ladybug won’t be able to deny that I can’t be in two places at once.”

Nathalie straightened. “Sir, that’s too dangerous, and who would perform the akumatization then?”

“We don’t have the luxury for safety now.” Gabriel replied, unclipping his miraculous. “If resurrecting Emilie is ever going to happen, I can’t be caught.”

He then handed the miraculous to Nathalie. “You will create the akuma. It doesn’t have to be powerful, just enough to capture me. Ladybug will purify the akuma and her investigation of me will be over again.”

Nathalie hesitated, but he forced the miraculous into her hands. 

“It’s not up for discussion. Go schedule an interview for tomorrow. Everything will work itself out from there.” 

Despite her obvious objections, Nathalie nodded and left the room to do as she was told.

Gabriel sighed, turning to look at Emilie’s painting. He would bring her back. It was only a matter of time now.

~~~~~~

Marinette cradled the fresh cup of tea in her hands, feeling the steam roll past her cheeks. 

Master Fu sat in front of her and Felix with his own cup of tea, a distraught look etched across his aged features. “I thought we’d dismissed the idea of Gabriel being Hawkmoth.”

“Yes, Master, we had, but the video Aurore and Wayhem sent us makes me want to look into it again.” Marinette explained.

“‘Dismissed’. You’ve suspected him before?” Felix guessed.

Marinette nodded, shifting towards him as she said, “A while back, we found out he had an ancient miraculous book in his possession. So, I thought he’d be Hawkmoth, but he was akumatized that same day.”

“Meaning he probably wasn’t Hawkmoth.” Felix finished. 

“Yes, but now..” Marinette trailed off, anxiously tracing the engravings of her cup. “Master, is it possible for Hawkmoth to akumatize himself?”

Master Fu hummed and looked up to the ceiling in thought. “I suppose it is possible, though I’ve never heard of it.”

“But it’s possible.” She repeated. That meant Gabriel’s akumatization- if he were Hawkmoth -was a ruse to throw them off of the trail, and it worked.

“Yes, but be extremely careful, Marinette.” Master Fu cautioned. “Hawkmoth is meticulous and intelligent. You need to be completely sure of who he is before you make a move.” 

“I know, Master. That’s why I came to you for advice.”

But the question remained, what would be their move? After all of the evidence piling up, Marinette was certain Gabriel was Hawkmoth, but what would they do about it? Were they just going to barge into his mansion and take the miraculous back? Possibly. Marinette definitely knows that she wants too. They almost had that jerk on Heroes’ Day. If only Mayura hadn’t..

“Mayura.” Marinette gasped. She’d completely forgot! “Who’s Mayura?”

“Knowing Gabriel, it’s probably Nathalie.” Felix deduced.

“But how are we going to defeat them both? If Lila knows who Hawkmoth is, then he might think we know too. Chances are that he’s already preparing for battle. We can’t take them down if they’re ready for us.” 

The small trio paused, each trying to find an answer.

“We’ll need Chat Noir.” Master Fu finally said.

Marinette and Felix straightened, the reply simultaneous. “Absolutely not.” 

“He’s too unstable, Master. We can’t trust him with this.” Marinette added.

“Exactly, which is why I’m not talking about _that_ Chat Noir.”

The two blinked, but Master Fu simply turned to Felix.

“Are you ready?” 

The blonde tensed. “Ready for.. The cat miraculous?” 

Master Fu just gave him a reassuring smile in response. “I leave the task to you, both of you. Go home and get some rest.”

Marinette and Felix exchanged looks, but stood to leave. Lila’s threat, Hawkmoth’s identity, taking back Chat’s ring.. Why did everything have to happen at the same time? Would they even be able to fix everything?

Felix laced his fingers with Marinette, a soft reassurance that they both needed. 

Marinette squeezed his hand back and smiled. Yes, Despite the overwhelming amount of information she’d been given today, she still had Felix. They could get through this. They could get through anything, as long as they were together, and together she intended to stay. 


	25. Chapter 25

Marinette was about ready to come unglued by the time she arrived at school the next morning. Putting this much stress on a teenager had to be illegal _somewhere_. How was she supposed to defeat Hawkmoth, neutralize Lila, take Chat’s miraculous, and form the miraculous team _all at once_? It was too much! It was all too much!

Felix rubbed her shoulder reassuringly, creating a soft beacon in her sea of nerves.

“We’ll catch them. Don’t worry.” He whispered, pressing a light kiss in her hair.

Marinette sighed, pushing herself into Felix’s chest. The words were sweet and even somewhat helpful, but she could feel how tense he was too. 

“Good morning, class.” Mlle. Bustier greeted with a smile, as if everything wasn’t coming apart at the seams. “Today, instead of a lesson, we will be watching an exclusive, live interview of Gabriel Agreste! He’ll be educating us on the fashion world!”

Marinette and Felix exchanged looks. Gabriel Agreste? An exclusive interview? Odd timing. 

The two shot a glance in Adrien’s direction. He seemed just as surprised.

“Mlle. Bustier,” Alya raised her hand, “Where’s Lila?” 

Great. _Another_ problem. 

Marinette looked around the classroom, seeing that Lila’s seat was indeed empty. She noticed it at the beginning of class, but assumed the brunette was in the bathroom or scheming up something. Was it possible she was using an akuma at this very moment? But Gabriel was going to be at an interview right?

Mlle. Bustier shifted uncomfortably. 

“Lila’s been expelled.”

Gasps filled the room, including Marinette’s. 

“This isn’t a dream, right?” She whispered to Felix.

He shook his head. “Not unless we’re sharing the same dream.”

“But why?” Alya nearly shouted from shock. 

Mlle. Bustier sighed. “I’m not authorized to tell you that.”

“Not _authorized_?” Alya frowned. 

Before Bustier could respond, the screen behind her flickered on.

“Bustier, is your class ready for the interview?” Mr. Damocles asked over the screen.

“Yes, sir. We’re ready.”

“But-”

“We’ll _talk_ about this _later_ , Alya.” Mlle. Bustier said sternly.

Alya crossed her arms with a huff, but didn’t argue any further.

The screen switched to a picture of Gabriel Agreste standing in the park. 

**~Gabriel Agreste, this is truly a surprise. It’s rare we get you outside of the house.~** Nadja Chamack jested outside of the camera’s view.

Gabriel, stiff as ever, gave a curt nod. **~Yes, well, fashion is as important as any art, which is why I’ve decided to examine the new statue today.~**

Marinette’s eyes narrowed. There was a new statue unveiling today. A budding sculptress spent months perfecting the work, but why did Gabriel want to see it? He’d never been interested in statues before.

A few more exchanges passed before the ceremony began. The camera captured someone pulling off the sheet to reveal another miraculous statue, one with Bouclier, Ladybug, and Chat all together.

A few “oh”s and “Awe”s came from the class, and Marinette flashed Felix a smile.

He chuckled, pulled her closer into a small hug.

A scoff brought their attention back to the screen.

 **~ _This_ is the famous statue I was dragged out here for?~** Gabriel sneered, scowling with displeasure. **~This is preposterous, a wreck. The shapes are nowhere _near_ realistic. The sides are too jagged and brittle. The faces are more cartoonish than those kid shows on television. Nothing’s natural. My son could make a better statue by setting a few rocks on top of each other.~**

Adrien sank in his seat slightly at the comment.

Nadja could be heard sputtering off screen, but the person who reacted first was the sculptress.

 **~ _What_? I worked _months_ on this project! It’s been accepted by _multiple_ galleries!~** She defended, coming on screen to confront Gabriel.

The designer just rolled his eyes. ~Please list the names so I know which places _not_ to visit.~

The sculptress flushed from anger and clenched her fists. ~You- You-!~

Marinette almost stood up on instinct when a blur of purple slipped into the background. 

Before anyone on scene could realize what was happening, the blur connected with the sculptress’ chisel, and a purple outline formed along the woman’s face.

 _But how is that possible?_ Marinette panicked. _Gabriel’s standing right there. He can’t be the one talking to her._

The sculptress was covered in a bubbly darkness, which transformed her into a stone-like figure that strangely resembled something Marinette had seen in a book about Michelangelo once.

 **~You want _realistic_? You want _natural_?~** The newly-formed akuma taunted, pointing her chisel- transformed into a slender gun, of sorts -at Gabriel. A light blue ray of light shot out of the gun and hit Gabriel in the chest.

The man was only able to flinch before his entire body turned into stone. 

**~How’s _that_ for life-like?~** The akuma snarked.

Silence swept over the class as they watched the akuma turn to shoot the cameraman, causing the ERROR picture to appear on the screen.

Then, Felix’s hand shot up.

“Mlle. Bustier, may I please use the restroom?”

“Uh.. sure.” Their teacher answered absently, still staring at the screen.

Felix shot up, slipped his phone into his pocket, and calmly walked out the door.

A few seconds later, Marinette’s phone started ringing.

She smirked and picked it up. “Hello, Maman? Yes, I’m fine.”

A small, apologetic look was cast to Mlle. Bustier as Marinette slipped out of the classroom to talk with her “Mother”. 

As soon as she was out the door, she hung up the phone and turned to give Felix a smile.

He returned it and put his phone back in his pocket. “Plan 32 worked like a charm.”

“It’s so much easier to slip out with your help.” Marinette sighed, putting up her phone as well. “Alright, you know the plan. I’ll go get Kagami. You go help Chat till we get back.”

Felix and Marinette nodded to each other before running off in separate directions. 

~~~~~~

Ladybug held the black box close to her chest as she slipped back into school. What were Kagami’s classes again? Would she be able to get her alone?

“Ladybug!” 

Ladybug straightened, almost laughing at the irony.

She whirled around to see Kagami standing in front of her with a dutiful expression. “I saw you from the classroom window. Most of the school is under lockdown right now. Is there something I can help you with?”

“Actually, yes.” Ladybug smiled. She definitely deserved this miraculous.

Ladybug held out the black box to Kagami. “Kagami Tsurugi, this is the dragon miraculous. Will you accept it and help me defeat Hawkmoth?”

She swore she saw a fire spark in Kagami’s eyes as she took the sacred object. “I thought you would never ask.”

“You won’t be fighting just yet.” Ladybug rushed to say, much to Kagami’s disappointment. “Longg will explain what I need you to do.”

“Longg?” Kagami asked, carefully opening the box. 

A bright red light flashed above the choker inside, before morphing into a small dragon-like creature.

“Hello, chosen one! My name is Longg, and I will be your kwami.” It introduced.

“I’ll see you after the battle.” Ladybug said, subtly sneaking away from the two. She still had to help Bouclier, and there was one more thing she needed to check. 

So, as Longg started to explain the plan, Ladybug ran for the exit and set off to the park.

-

The park was near empty when she got there, save for a few statues in the middle. The quietness that lingered was eerie, to say the least, especially when you consider the faint screams in the distance. 

Ladybug landed next to Gabriel’s statue, eyeing it with caution. This could be a trap. He could have caught on and set all of this up to catch her.

 _Or.._ She thought, reaching out to touch the statue.

Her hand connected with the stone- solid, _real_. This wasn’t an illusion. 

“What are you up to?” Ladybug mumbled to herself, staring at the hard features of her possible nemesis.

Despite everyone else’s expressions, Gabriel’s seemed calm. Too calm. Almost.. smug? 

“Chat-!”

Ladybug snapped out of her daze, straightening to look in the direction of the fight. That sounded like Bouclier. Was he calling for Chat? Did something happen?

A queasy feeling suddenly twisted in her stomach, and Ladybug threw out her yo-yo. 

Something was wrong. She just hoped she wasn’t too late.

~~~~~~

Chat Noir spun his baton just in time to deflect a blast from the akuma. 

“Get back here you mangy cat!” The akuma shrieked, following Chat from roof to roof.

Chat Noir scoffed, hiding behind chimneys and cutting through alleyways. Where was Ladybug? Or Bouclier? Why were they taking so long? He needed to defeat the akuma to save Piere!

On top of that, what was Piere thinking? Insulting the sculptress like that.. He should have known an akuma would’ve shown up! Did he even try to run?

Chat Noir slid to a stop, looking at the dead-end that he’d run himself into.

The akuma cackled behind him. 

“Here, kitty, kitty.” She cooed, aiming her gun at him. “You’re going to be a wonderful statue to add to my collection.”

Chat Noir scowled, readying his staff to deflect her attack when-

“Chat Noir, on your left!” 

A green shield came flew between them, bouncing off the walls of the alleyway and knocking into the akuma.

“Finally!” Chat Noir growled, glaring up at Bouclier. He swiftly extended his baton to get to the roof that Bouclier was on. “What took you so long? Where’s Ladybug?”

Bouclier gave Chat Noir a flat look and held out his hand to catch his shield. “She’s getting help. She’ll be here soon.”

Chat Noir grit his teeth. Help. Ladybug was getting help _again_.

His hands clenched around his baton. 

No more second chances. Bouclier had to go.

“Fine, then. Let’s keep this ‘Misses Stoneheart’ busy until she gets here.” 

“The name’s ‘Roche’!” The akuma yelled, lunging for the two of them.

Chat Noir and Bouclier separated, each jumping to different roofs. 

Chat Noir used his Baton for cover as he thought of a plan. He needed to immobilize Bouclier, just long enough to get his miraculous. Then he could take it to Master Fu and- with the old man’s help -talk some sense into Ladybug.

Now, the akuma was in her chisel- a chisel that turns people into statues. That should keep Bouclier still long enough for him to nab the miraculous, right? Then he could help Ladybug defeat the akuma and run off before she realizes what happened. Chat can give the turtle miraculous to someone who actually _deserves_ it, and that will be one less problem on his plate. Perfect! 

“It’s no wonder Hawkmoth turned you into a rock.” Chat Noir taunted, spinning his baton as he sauntered in Bouclier’s direction. “You’re about as dumb as one from what I can tell.”

Roche screamed in fury and started shooting wildly in the cat’s direction.

Chat Noir smirked and blocked the attacks, slowly and subtly moving towards Bouclier with each hit. He continued like this until he was directly in front of Bouclier, becoming the only cover for his turtle-themed comrade.

“Cover me!” Bouclier ordered, throwing out his shield towards the akuma again.

“What was that?” Chat asked, stepping to the side as he did so.

 _Horribly_ and _completely unexpectedly_ , Roche’s shot that was meant for him hit Bouclier instead, instantly turning the hero to stone.

Bouclier’s shield did hit Roche in turn, though, sending the akuma back off the roof. That was certainly convenient.

Chat Noir pressed a finger to his lips in thought as he studied his soon-to-be-former colleague. The plan worked.. only it worked a little too well. Bouclier was turned to stone, but so was his miraculous. How was he supposed to take it off?

A scream caused Chat to straighten like a board.

He whipped around, coming face to face with none other than Ladybug herself.

“L-Ladybug! Uh- My-” He cleared his throat “-My lady, The akuma got to Bouclier.”

Ladybug says nothing. She just.. walks towards Bouclier with a horrified and dazed expression. It’s like she hadn’t even heard him.

“My Lady?”

Again, no response. She gently touches the statue’s cheek, and he swears he sees tears welling up in her eyes.

Then, “How dare you.”

It was so soft that Chat wouldn’t have heard if not for his enhanced hearing.

He opened his mouth to reply when Ladybug turned around, expression dark, but eyes alight with fury.

“How DARE you!” She yelled, pushing him back.

Chat Noir stumbled from a mix of the force and the shock. He’d never seen Ladybug angry before, let alone _this_ angry.

The akuma managed to scramble back onto the roof, but Ladybug ignored her. 

“I’ve never met someone so- so arrogant, so stuck-up, so _selfish_ -”

Chat Noir bristled. “Hey, this isn’t my-”

“I’M NOT FINISHED!” Ladybug screamed back.

A purple outline appeared on the akuma’s face, who furiously shook her head after a moment. “Oh, _heck_ no. Do you see how mad she is? I’m not touching that.”

Again, collectively ignored.

Ladybug continued her advance on Chat. He continued backing up.

“You’ve abused your miraculous, abandoned your duties, put all of _Paris_ in danger for your own _petty_ gain. Over and over.”

In his attempts to retreat, Chat didn’t notice the step up behind him. He tripped over it, landing on the cement hard.

Ladybug didn’t hesitate. She stepped forward and leaned in real close. It might have made him blush had it not been for the circumstances.

“You-” She snarled, her fingers wrapping around his ring, “-don’t deserve this!”

Before he could blink, she’d slipped the ring off, and he felt the magic melt off of him. 

Suddenly, Adrien felt exposed. 

Ladybug stared at him for what felt like an eternity. He couldn’t read her expression, as it had fallen blank. 

“You.. you can’t do this..” Adrien dang-near whispered, throwing out a last excuse or plea. She couldn’t.. She couldn’t just _take_ his ring, right? That had to have been against some sort of rule!

Finally, she gave a reaction, her face twisting into a scowl. “I should have known it was you.”

“Holy crap, dude, what have you been _doing_ to this girl?” Roche said from the side.

Adrien’s gaze flicked to the akuma, but he immediately looked back to Ladybug’s fist, which tightened around his ring.

“We’re done here. Get off the roof to safety, and if I ever see you again, I’ll have you arrested for obstruction of justice and assisting a terrorist.” She threatened, her icy glare chilling him to the bone.

“A-assisting a terrorist?” He asked weakly. “T-that’s ridi-”

“LEAVE!” Ladybug yelled, prompting Adrien to shuffle backwards.

This couldn’t be the end! This wasn’t fair! He- he would talk to Master Fu about this! Surely, Ladybug wouldn’t ignore the _guardian_ of the miraculous.

He scrambled to his feet and dashed for the exit, the weight of her gaze pushing him forward until he was out the door.

~~~~~~

Ladybug drew in a deep breath. She could hardly keep herself from shaking she was so angry. Chat Noir.. Adrien.. They were the _same_ person. The same person who just got Bouclier turned into a..

She looked back at Bouclier. His brows were furrowed, the last moments of agitation perfectly etched onto his features. She couldn’t stand it.

Ladybug turned to Roche, glare fresh in her eyes. 

The akuma immediately shot her hands into the air. “I surrender!”

The purple outline appeared again, but Roche shook her head. “Nah, man, I’m not touching that.”

Ladybug blinked at the girl, then smirked and held out her hand. Thank goodness _something_ was going to be easy today. 

Roche handed over the chisel with a nervous chuckle, and Ladybug wasted no time breaking it.

Miraculous Cure swept through the city, hitting Bouclier first.

The blonde stumbled to life, immediately straightening to look around. 

Ladybug practically threw herself onto him in a hug. “Bouclier! Are you okay?”

She felt him tense in her arms. “Uh-I’m fine. What happened? Where’s Chat?”

Ladybug sighed, pulling back enough to show Bouclier the ring. “He’s taken care of.”

Bouclier’s eyes widened. “I see.”

“Um.. hello?” 

The two turned to see the sculptress staring at them.

“I-I’m sorry, but.. Where am I?”

Ladybug blew out a sigh, stepping away from Bouclier but keeping a hold of his hand. 

“It’s alright. You were akumatized, but we saved you. Everything’s fine now.” She smiled.

The sculptress gasped, briefly patting herself down as if to see if she was all there. “A-Akumatized? No that can’t- oh, Ladybug, I’m so sorry!”

Ladybug shook her head. “It’s not your fault. You had every right to be angry after what Gabriel said. Hawkmoth’s the one in the wrong here. He took advantage of you.”

The sculptress swallowed, still a bit unsure, but nodded. “Y-yes. Thank you.” 

Ladybug and Bouclier chatted the woman a little longer before sending her off the roof to get back to the park.

“So..” Bouclier started once the woman was gone, eyes trailing down to the ring. “Who was..”

Ladybug rolled her eyes at the very thought and opened her fist to reveal the black ring resting in her palm. “Adrien..”

“ _Adrien_?” Bouclier nearly yelled. 

She nodded. “At least we know he can’t be helping Hawkmoth now. His ego as a hero was too big for that.”

Bouclier shook his head, grumbling things under his breath about “of course” and “should’ve seen it”.

“Alright, so who was the Hawkmoth today? This can’t be a coincidence. Right after we start suspecting Gabriel, he has an interview for the first time, _and_ gets hit during said interview? That’s too easy, if you ask me.”

“Agreed.” Ladybug said, putting Chat’s ring in her yo-yo. “We said that Nathalie was Mayura, right? Maybe he had her be Hawkmoth today to throw us off the trail.”

Bouclier hummed. “That sounds like something he would do..”

The two went silent for a moment, each considering the options.

Then, Ladybug opened her yo-yo for a call. “Ryuuko, what’s your position?”

 _Ryuuko?_ Bouclier mouthed in question.

 _Kagami_. Ladybug mouthed back.

“East side of Paris, right on the butterfly’s heels.” Ryuuko answered.

“Do you see where it’s going?” Ladybug asked next.

There was a pause.

“I think it’s going for the Agreste mansion like you said.” 

Ladybug gasped in disbelief. She was.. They were right! It _was_ Gabriel!

“Yeah, it just flew into this small window on the back of the building.” Ryuuko confirmed.

Window in the back of the building? Wasn’t that supposed to be walled up or something?

“Thanks, Ryuuko. Meet us back here as soon as you can.” Ladybug instructed, before closing her Yo-yo.

“It’s time to form the miraculous team.”

~~~~~~

Master Fu had been anticipating the knock on the door all day. He told Ladybug what needed to be done, and he knew she would deliver. It was only a matter of “when”.

The knock came around eleven in the morning, and he quickly walked to the door with a smile.

“Hello. L-” He began to say, only to stop dead in his tracks.

Adrien- not Ladybug -was standing in the doorway, and he didn’t look pleased.

“Oh, Hello Chat Noir.” Master Fu recovered, gesturing for him to come in.

Adrien scoffed as he entered. “Not anymore. That’s what I came to talk to you about.”

“Oh?” 

“Yeah, Ladybug took my ring! Can you believe that?” The blonde sneered. “After everything we’ve been through!”

Master Fu sighed. “Adrien-”

“Anyway, you have to talk to her.” Adrien interrupted, crossing his arms. “I’d follow my Lady anywhere, but this is getting out of control.”

Master Fu opened his mouth to respond, but Adrien continued.

“She’s not even _allowed_ to take my miraculous! Who gave her the right?”

“ _I_ did.” Master Fu finally spoke up, effectively cutting off Adrien’s rant.

The blonde tensed, his green eyes darting to him. “Master?”

Master Fu fixed him with a stern look. “Adrien, you have slipped. You have forgotten what it means to be a hero, and, therefore, have put all of Paris in danger with your theatrics.”

Adrien gaped at him. “B-But what about Ladybug! She’s off gallivanting with Bouclier!”

“And you’re the one sabotaging Bouclier because of jealousy.” Master Fu shot back. “The decision is final. You are no longer a miraculous wielder.”

If Chat’s miraculous was gone, that meant Ladybug was going to come here to get the rest of the miraculous for the team. Chat Noir needed to be gone by then.

Adrien sputtered at his words, trying and failing to come up with an excuse. “W-what- no! No, this isn’t fair! I’ve earned my miraculous just as much as she has! I deserve it!”

“Adrien, you have brought this on yourself. I am asking you calmly to leave before Ladybug has to come here.”

Adrien flinched at the mere _mention_ of Ladybug being around him again. Whatever that girl did to him had a lasting effect. 

The blonde opened and closed his mouth a few times, undoubtedly trying to find an argument. Then he spun on his heel and ran out the door. Apparently, getting his ring back wasn’t important enough to face Ladybug head-on a _second_ time.

Master Fu smile. At least one of his chosens was correct.

~~~~~~

Felix gently rubbed his thumb across the back of Marinette’s hand as they made their way to their group table in the cafeteria. She hadn’t let go of his hand since he’d been released from that stone prison after the akuma attack.

The whole ordeal was still a bit fuzzy, to be honest. He remembered throwing his shield and watching Chat Noir step to the side. Then, everything went black. Next thing he knew, he was in Marinette’s arms, and she was holding Chat Noir’s ring. Chat Noir who turned out to be Adrien. Isn’t that just great? His cousin was the one harassing his girlfriend, and his Uncle was the one harassing all of _Paris_. His father was going to _love_ that.

“Can you believe it!” Aurore said excitedly. “We got Lila expelled! She’s finally gone!”

“The police weren’t too happy about the video that we gave them.” Wayhem added smugly.

Despite the teachers trying to keep it confidential, Aurore and Wayhem to spread the reasons behind Lila’s being expelled.

“And look at Alya and Adrien!” Aurore cackled, pointing towards the other side of the cafeteria. “They look like lost strays!”

Felix glanced in the pair’s direction, more out of curiosity than anything. Alya was curled in on herself, looking ready to throw up. 

Adrien.. He was pale as a ghost. He looked to be in a daze, staring at nothing in general and not eating despite having a full tray of food.

Felix knew, of course, that his mood had nothing to do with Lila, especially when the blonde kept running his hand over his ring finger.

He felt a light nudge, and looked down at Marinette.

She glanced down at their bags, then to the group, who were all looking at Adrien and Alya.

Felix nodded and subtly bumped into his tray. A fork fell off the table, and he quietly excused himself.

As he bent down to pick it up, Felix slipped a black box into Luka’s bag, then grabbed the fork.

On Marinette’s side, he watched her slip a black box into Wayhem’s bag after “Grabbing something from her backpack”. 

They’d let Kagami keep her miraculous for now so that took care of three. How would they get to Aurore.

“Oh! Let’s take a selfie!” Aurore said eagerly, pulling out her phone. “To celebrate!”

Felix and Marinette shared a smirk.

“That’s a great idea!” Marinette grinned, standing and pulling Felix along with her. 

They walked around behind Wayhem and Aurore to get into view of the camera. Luka and Kagami followed with a smile, Kagami standing next to Felix and Luka standing next to Marinette.

“Say cheese!” Aurore smiled, holding up her phone.

“Cheese!” The group said in unison, and Marinette dropped the box into Aurore’s bag right when the camera went off.

“That takes care of everyone.” Felix whispered as they sat back down.

“Almost everyone.” Marinette corrected, turning his wrist slightly to reveal his turtle miraculous. “There’s still one more person we need.”

-

“I’m not too sure about this..” Felix grumbled, looking over his new suit from the cat miraculous. Black was a sharp change from his usual, bright green, turtle suit.

“Oh, you look fine.” Ladybug insisted, waving off his concerns as she circled him.

She then stopped, eyeing the lower part of his suit.

“Nice thigh-highs, by the way.” She snorted.

Felix flushed. “T-this wasn’t _my_ choice!” 

“Actually,” Ladybug smirked, “your suit is based on your deepest desires. So..”

She left the rest unsaid.

Felix bristled. “I know that!”

Ladybug let out another laugh, before wrapping her arms around his neck. “I love you.”

Felix relaxed slightly, though he still felt a mix of embarrassed and agitated towards being called out.

Nevertheless, he slipped his arms around her waist and sighed. “I love you too.”

They stayed like that for a moment, simply holding each other close.

“You know I’m okay right?” 

Her hair tickled his neck as she nodded. “I know, it’s just.. I didn’t like seeing you like that. I don’t like to think it could happen again.”

Felix nodded understandingly and started tracing small circles on her back. “Let’s take him down so you don’t have to worry about it.”

Ladybug drew in a deep breath, hugging him a little tighter before letting go. “You’re right. So, are you going to keep the name or do you wanna change it?”

Felix hummed, lacing his fingers with hers as he thought about it. 

“Well, you’re used to ‘Chat Noir’, and I assume this isn’t permanent. So, I guess I’m keeping the name.” He concluded with a sigh.

He was Chat Noir.

Felix Culpa was officially the new Chat Noir.

That was going to have to take some getting used to.

“Guess I’ll keep the nicknames, too, ‘Kitty’.” She chuckled, flicking his bell.

Felix smirked, rolling his eyes playfully. “Does that mean I get to call you ‘Bugaboo’, then?”

Ladybug hummed, lightly touching one of his cat ears, which twiched in response. “Can’t say I’d mind.”

He chuckled and gave her a peck on the lips.

The kiss was too short in his opinion, but as he was about to pull her into another one, Ladybug took out her yo-yo to check the time.

“We should go. The others are probably there already.”

Felix sighed. “You’re right, as always.”

Ladybug rolled her eyes with a smile, giving him another quick peck before swinging off in the direction of the Agreste Mansion.

Felix followed her lead, using his baton to sort of catapult off of the roof and mentally preparing himself for the change of pace that came with switching a miraculous.

By the time they got to the mansion, Felix had more or less figured out how to work the staff. Ladybug only had to catch him once or twice.. Or three times, but he’s got it now!

“Hey, guys!” Kitsune greets waving in the midst of the group. Ryuuko, Viperon, and Bumblebee turned to wave as well.

“Hey, thanks for coming.” Ladybug said, landing in front of them. 

“Anything to help.” Ryuuko said.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world!” Bumblebee grinned.

“So where’s the turtle?” Kitsune asked, glanced in Chat Noir’s direction. “You said we were gonna have all hands on deck, right?”

Ladybug smirked. “I’ve got that covered.”

She turned around, and everyone followed her gaze to see none other than Carapace land on the roof next to her. 

“Hey, dudes! I hope I’m not late.” 

“You’re just in time.” Ladybug assured, patting him on the shoulder. “Thanks for coming.”

Carapace nodded. “It’s an honor to be here.” 

“Does everyone know the plan?” Felix spoke up, drawing the group’s attention.

“Yep.”

“I remember!”

“We’re ready when you are.”

Ladybug moved to his side, slipping her hand into his and looking up at the mansion. It suddenly seemed much larger than before.

“Are you ready?” She asked.

He smiled down at her. “With you here? I’m ready for anything.” 

Ladybug threw him a loving smile and squeezed his hand. “Then, let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's it for this story! I hope you all enjoyed it and I'll try to get the other stories transferred over as soon as I can! If you're too impatient, though, go check out my account on tumblr (Again, Starshine583) and the stories should all be in order there! Thanks for reading!! <3


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